Southern Living
by NyteRock
Summary: On a business trip down to Georgia, Edward gets set up to stay with an old friend of Carlisle's where he meets Bella. But when an old boyfriend comes back into the picture and threatens her life and her happiness, can Edward save her? AU / All Human
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer:_**

I don't own any of these characters or the books. No matter how much I wish I did.

_**Summary:**_

Edward must travel south to Georgia for a business deal between his and Carlisle's company, and a local company looking for funding for medical research. Carlisle sets Edward up to stay with an old friend of his and it's there he meets Bella. But when an old boyfriend of Bella's come back into the picture and threatens her life and her happiness, will Edward be able to save her? Even if it's from herself?

_**AN:**_

I'm going to try and keep the characters from going too far into OOC-land but Bella will probably spend a bit of time there. I'll try and make it believable OOC-ness though.

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**Edward POV**

I hadn't been in Georgia for a full hour and already I wanted to leave. It was hot, humid and uncomfortable and I missed my chilly Chicago wind. As soon as I set foot off the plane, the muggy air closed in on me and make it more then a little difficult to breath. How did people stand it down here?

At least the actual flight had been pleasant. I'd spent the majority of it staring at my laptop, going over reports and spreadsheets for the upcoming business agreement. Cullen Medical Industries was looking to fund research for a new miracle cure of sorts, something designed to attack multiple forms of cancer, putting off the spread of the diseases until a better cure or treatment could be administered. If the research paid off, thousands of cancer victims could be given a second chance at life.

The company asking for the funding , Alexi Laboratories, was small time overall, but they had the most promising theories and ideas. So, being vice president of CMI, I was the one who would be responsible for determining if Alexi Laboratories had a promising chance for research.

I picked up lunch at the airport, not wanting to waste much time in getting to my lodgings. I'd love to say, getting to my hotel, but Carlisle, my father and the president of CMI, thought that while I was down here, I should experience 'true Southern hospitality' so he'd called in a favor from an old friend of his and gotten me a room with said friend on his ranch. An honest to God ranch. Where my city-slicker skills would do me absolutely no good.

But, no matter how much I'd argued the point, he hadn't listened. I, of course, could have just waited until I arrived and gotten my own hotel in Atlanta, much closer to my reason for being here, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I respected my father far too much to pull such a childish gesture. Such gestures were meant to be outgrown before a man reached his twenties and, being twenty-three, I was more then old enough to be an adult about the whole thing.

Beside, I told myself. It could be fun. Ride a few horses, relax in the joys of country living, far away from the noise and bustle of the big city. Fun, right. Yeah. About that.

I sighed and stepped out of the air-conditioned airport and into the hot Georgia summer. There were cab driver's waiting along the curb of the pick up and drop off area where I now stood, just waiting for passengers. At least getting a cab was easier here.

I piled my three bags into the trunk of a bright yellow cab and climbed into the back, handing the driver the printout with the address of my destination. The driver looked back at me with a questioning look. "This is going to be an expensive ride, son."

I shrugged and sat back in the worn seat with a sigh. "It's okay. I can cover the fare."

The driver handed me the paper back after writing the address in some kind of a log and turned the car on, pulling into the mild congestion in front of the Atlanta Airport. "I wasn't worried about you paying, son. Just letting you know."

I nodded without a word and relaxed as best as I could. The cab driver had the air conditioner going full blast but I was still sweating. Hooking a finger under the knot of my tie I pulled, loosening it and unbuttoning the top button of my white dress shirt. Not much better but every little bit counts.

When we reached the city limits, it was almost a physical line between city life and the country. The two lane road we were traveling down was lined with trees on one side, providing little in the way of sightseeing, while the other side was field after field of some kind of crop. I recognized cotton a few times but couldn't place the other kinds, if there was more then one other.

About thirty minutes into the journey we got stuck behind a tractor that took up the entire road. There had to have been at least a dozen vehicles in front of us, all of them dirty trucks that looked like they'd been literally drug through the mud a few times. I watched as each of the trucks took to a little off road driving, one almost rolling into the ditch that was currently lining the road, to get around the tractor. I felt a little surge of irritation that we were going to be stuck behind the tractor when the ditch flattened out and the cabbie followed the truck drivers.

The rest of the drive was uneventful as I took in the few sights. I saw, far in the distance, the outline of mountains, but didn't think much of it. They weren't close and I wasn't one for loving nature in the sense of actually getting out in it.

An hour and a half after we started out, the cab driver pulled onto a long dirt road that seemed to go on for forever. It was pocketed with ruts that threatened to destroy the cars' suspension but the cabbie deftly avoided the worst ones. The trees on either side of the dirt road cleared about five minutes in and the clearing the revealed was huge.

The rest of the dirt road was smooth as silk, or as smooth as dirt can be. We pulled to a stop in front of a two story cabin-type home that was the very definition of rustic. A wide front porch stretched the entire length of the front of the house and four rocking chairs were positioned, two on each end , with a small, round wooden table between the pairs. A large garage was attached to the far side of the house.

The driver was helping me get my things out of the trunk when a woman came out the front door, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, both of which looked far too clean with the cloud of dirt settling around the cab. She had light brown hair pulled back into some kind of a bun at her neck and a friendly, welcoming smile that made me like her instantly.

She came down the three steps from the porch to the ground and held out her hand to me. "You must be Edward. Carlisle's told me so much about you. I'm Esme."

I smiled and took her hand in both of mine, giving a gentle squeeze before letting it drop. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Esme. I'm sorry to say Carlisle hasn't told me anything in return."

Her laugh was infectious and I felt my smile widen as the cabbie closed the trunk. "Oh no worries, dear. I'm sure he just didn't want to frighten you too badly."

I paid the cabbie, not even blinking at the exuberant fair. I'd expected it and was actually pleased to see it cost less then I had originally estimated. The cabbie shook my hand and wished me a pleasant stay, having accurately assumed I wasn't from anywhere around here, and drove away. I watched his tail lights fade in the cloud of dust he left behind him and turned back to Esme.

"Well, come on now, let's get you settled in." She smiled again and grabbed one of my suitcases. I stepped forward to try and take it from her, my inner gentleman coming out, but she was already up the steps and in the door. I picked up my other two and my laptop case and followed.

The front door opened up to a living room that took up at least half of the bottom floor. A large, comfy looking sectional sofa took up on corner, facing a flat screen TV and full entertainment center. A love seat and two recliners, a wooden coffee table that looked like it might have been hand made, and end tables by the couch and loveseat made up the rest of the living room furniture. A few buck heads hung along the wall, the points on their huge antlers having been dulled.

A staircase was situated off to the right side of the living room, behind the shortest part of the sectional. Esme led me upstairs and down a hall to the left. The room she waved me into was a good size, a huge king size bed taking up part of it but still leaving plenty of room for the dresser, chest of drawers and walking room. A woven carpet was placed between the foot of the bed and the dresser.

"This will be your room, Edward. Put your stuff away and meet me in the kitchen. I'll give you a guided tour of the property." With another smile she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

I sighed and put my bags at the foot of the bed, dropping down on the side and laying on my back. I stared up at the ceiling, contemplating my immediate future. Carlisle and I estimated I'd be down here for at least a month with the possibility of extending my stay if things went well.

After a few minutes I got back up and unpacked my things, hanging up my clothes in the closet rather then putting them in the drawers. Although my boxers and socks went into the dresser. I plugged the power cord to my laptop in and hooked it up to charge the nearly dead battery. Leaving the computer on the dresser, I glanced in the attached mirror as I took my tie off.

Heading back downstairs, I found the kitchen easily enough, having just followed some wonderful smell that was wafting through the lower level of the house. The kitchen was a long, galley style kitchen that, while giving the air of being rustic and simple, had all modern appliances. How Esme had managed to pull off modern and country, I'd never understand.

I found Esme standing in front of the lower of the double ovens with the door pulled down halfway. I assumed she was checking on whatever was cooking. A large pot was on the stovetop and a smaller one on the element next to it. My dress shoes made soft thumps on the hardwood floor as I approached and she stood, smiling as she closed the oven door.

"That smells really good, Esme. What is it?" I asked, polite appreciation in my voice.

"That, Edward, is dinner. You'll find out what later." She wiped her hands on a towel that was hanging off the bar on the oven door and gestured for me to follow her. "Alright, let's get you acquainted with the place." She walked down the long kitchen and into what looked like a formal dining room. "This is the dining room. We eat two meals a day here - breakfast and dinner - and I'd like it if you'd join us when we do." A smile took the motherly edge from her voice.

She gestured with her hand through a set of open double doors. "In there is the study. You're welcome to it if you need it but you might have to fight with my niece for the chair in the corner. She likes to read by the window." She turned on her heel and went back down the kitchen and out a door along the opposite wall.

The back of the house had a desk with a large, professional looking grill and a outdoor seating area against the balcony. Down a half dozen steps and we were on the grass in the backyard. She led me across a large backyard to a long barn. "We keep the horses in here. If you're unfamiliar with horses I would ask that you have someone here come with you to the barn."

She opened a door to the side of the large barn door and led me inside. The first half of the barn was stables while the back half seemed to be storage for riding necessities along with the parking spot for a large tractor much like the one we'd gotten stuck behind on the ride out here. Five horses filled all but one of the stables.

"I doubt you'll ever end up here, but just in case you need something, I want you familiar with the place." She explained when I looked confused. And that just cleared my confusion right up.

At the opposite end of the barn was another large barn door, this one fully opened and revealing a huge, grassy clearing where a lone horse was grazing. I took all of this in with an awed mindset, unable to really contemplate living this kind of life. I was too set in my city ways.

We were walking back to the house when I heard the distance sound of a vehicle approaching. We stopped and I glanced out toward the tree line, the far, far away tree line. After a few seconds, something roared out of the trees. I heard Esme sigh and looked over in time to see her shake her head before turning back to what I now saw was an approaching ATV.

It didn't take more then a few seconds before the ATV reached us and I saw the girl riding it. She had long, dark brown hair that was pulled back into a pony tail, the ends tangled together from her ride, mud caked into the strands. A pair of mud-splattered dark sunglasses covered her eyes and more mud was caked in streaks and smears onto her strangely pale skin.

"Bella." Esme said, drawing the name out in disapproval. "I thought I told you to stay out of the mud pit after a rain."

The girl, Bella, flashed a grin as Esme as she swung her leg off the ATV. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans that were so worn they had actual holes in the thighs and knees - not the designer holes that people paid hundreds of dollars for. The were faded from multiple washings and were also covered in mud. She wore a t-shirt with the sleeves and hem torn off, the once white fabric looking like it had been washed in brown water - more mud, I assumed -and giving tiny peaks at her stomach when she moved.

"Sorry, Aunt Esme. I couldn't resist. Jake and Sam--" Esme held up a hand to stop Bella's explanation, a smile on her lips. Did this woman ever get angry? Don't answer that.

"Don't worry about it, Bella." She dropped her hand and gestured to me. "This is Carlisle's son, Edward. Remember I told you he'd be staying with us for a while?"

Bella reached up and pulled her sunglasses off her face. It was then that I realized exactly how much mud she was covered in. The area around her eyes, where the glasses had covered, was a porcelain color, a full ten shades whiter then the rest of her. She gave me a quick once over and blushed when I flashed her a knowing smile, the color tinting her cheeks.

"Edward," Esme continued her introduction. "This is my niece, Isabella."

Bella groaned at Esme. "Come on, you know I hate that." And I was back to being confused.

Esme rubbed one of the bigger spots of mud off Bella's face. "Oh, don't whine, Bella. It was just for introduction." Ah, I assumed she had meant her full name. I personally didn't see what was wrong with it. It was a pretty name and she was a pretty girl. Wow, did I just think that.

I sighed to myself, pulling my thoughts back to the business aspect of my trip and away from the pretty niece of my father's friend. "It's nice to meet you, Bella." I hoped I'd picked up on her preference to not being called Isabella. The small smile she flashed me let me know I had picked right.

"I'd shake your hand but you look a little too clean for me to touch until I shower." And there was that blush again. I thought over what she said and smirked, thinking just how wrong that sounded.

Esme turned and started for the house. "Put that thing away, Bella, and go wash up. Dinner's in an hour." I followed her back inside with a single glance back to see Bella swinging her leg back over the ATV and starting it up, driving around the barn and out of sight.

**Bella POV**

I parked the ATV in the barn next to the tractor that hardly ever got used. Ever since we stopped growing our crops, we hadn't had much use for it. But we kept it in good condition in case we needed or, as was most often the situation, in case the Black's needed it. They did still grow their own crops and their equipment tended to break down near the end of the season. We'd offer to give them the tractor but old Billy was too proud.

I grinned to myself, thoughts of the Blacks bringing back thoughts of the afternoon. We'd had a good rain yesterday and the mud pit was full. Jake and his brother Sam had come by this morning and practically dragged me out of bed. We'd spent the day with most of the rest of the older teens in the area, splashing mud, flipping ATV's, getting trucks stuck. My own truck was still stuck in the mud. I was going back after dinner with Sam to try and pull it out. I'd gotten the beast stuck real good this time.

I wiped my hands over my face as I grabbed a few long carrots and walked into the pasture and Misty, the lone horse out there grazing. She didn't like to feed with the other horses, a personality quirk that amused the hell out of me while giving me no end of worry. I made sure to approach from her side so she could see me coming.

Her tail flicked, driving away the flies that were bothering her, and she lifted her head. I ran my hand up her nose, murmuring hello's in her ear and feeding her one of the carrots. I untied the long rope that was wrapped around my waist, its function as a belt fairly useless. I wrapped the smooth rope around Misty's head, creating a make-shift bridle. Not exactly the way you should do it but she was easy tempered and usually only required a little nudge to get her moving.

Another carrot held out to her and the end of the rope in my hand giving a gentle tug got her walking back toward the barn. I got her into her stable and took the rope off, threading it back through my belt loops. I reached down and pinched the back of each of her ankles to get her to give me her foot, checking each of her hooves as I did to all the horses after bringing them in from the pasture.

Satisfied that there no foreign objects to worry about, I brushed out her mane and tail before giving her a kiss on the side of her nose and heading back into the house. I hurried upstairs to my room and had stripped before I had eve made it to the shower. A quick turn of the knob and a few seconds to let the water heat up.

I stepped under the spray, letting the warmth envelope me and relax tense muscles that had gotten good use today. I washed my hair twice until the water ran clean and then went about scrubbing the mud from my body. I was fully covered in it, having stripped down to my underwear and jumped in more then once to try and get one vehicle or another unstuck without having to pull it out.

I felt better after my shower and dressed quickly in a clean pair of jeans and a less ragged and torn t-shirt, this one with the phrase _Country Girls Do It Better _written in black across the white fabric. Esme hated the shirt, thinking it was degrading, but she knew I was a good kid and let me wear it.

She had told me not to wear the shirt while our guest was here unless I promised not to demonstrate whether the statement was true or not. I don't think I'd blushed that hard in a long time and, after being introduced to our guest, I'd blushed even harder, remembering her comment. But, determined to not let some stranger I'd never even heard of before, though I'd heard many things about his father from Esme, embarrass me, I'd deliberately chosen to wear this shirt now.

Ten minutes later I was downstairs in the study. Esme was in the kitchen and I assumed our guest was in his room, the one right next to mine since the one next to Esme's was her office and not an actual bedroom anymore.

The study walls were covered with built in shelving that held hundreds of books, a good indication of mine and Esme's favorite hobby. A large desk sat against one wall with a comfy looking leather chair behind it. Four chairs sat in the room, two against the window, two against the wall. A dark wood, heavily lacquered, expensive looking table sat between each set of chairs. The other half of the room was taken up by a large piano. The whole room - desk, chairs, and especially the piano - had belonged to Esme's father before he died.

Propped up on a stand next to the piano was my second favorite hobby. I picked up my guitar and sat on the piano bench, running my fingers over the wood lovingly before pulling the pick from between the strings where I'd left it. A few chords and I was lost to the music. I strummed along to the music in my head, playing a succession of chords that I'd put together myself without any real thought as to what they might turn into.

Esme's voice broke into my trance and I put the guitar back on its stand, pocketing the pick for later use. I walked into the dining room that connected the study to the kitchen and found the table already set.

"Esme," I groaned. "Why didn't you get my attention sooner? I'd have set the table."

She just smiled at me as she put out a large plate of cornbread in the center of the table. "No worries, dear. Just go get Edward, would you please? He should still be in his room."

I sighed and gave her a look that warned her to let me do some of the work next time but she just smiled again and shooed me off. I took the stairs two at a time and knocked on Edward's door. He opened it wide and I froze, my eyes going wide and my face heating up at a blush took over.

He had just gotten out of a shower, his wet hair telling that tale clearly, and stood before me in all his shirtless glory. He had a pair of dress pants pulled up over his hips but they were unbuttoned and hanging loose on his hips, revealing boxers and a very defined V of muscle that led further south. I dragged my gaze back up to his face, my eyes taking in the hardened planes of his chest and his six pack abs.

By the time I met his gaze - oh my god, his eyes were gorgeous - I was nearly dizzy from my blush. His expression was shocked and he glanced down, realizing his state of undress. He quickly buttoned his pants and shrugged into the shirt he'd been holding in his hands. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." His voice was velvet against my skin and I made the decision right then and there that I needed to leave.

I cleared my throat and dropped my gaze to the floor, figuring staring at hardwood was better then staring at hard abs. "Um, I just wanted to let you know dinner's ready."

I heard him shift and risked a glance up to see him. "Okay. I'll be right down."

I nodded and turned on my heel, practically running for the stairs. I heard his door shut when I was halfway down and made a beeline straight for the kitchen. I helped Esme fill three bowls with chicken and dumplings and set them on the table at each place setting.

I heard the footsteps on the stairs and took my place at the side of the table while Esme took hers at the head. Edward came into the dining room and I fought the blush that wanted to scald my face again.

_Chill out, Bella,_ I scolded myself. _It's not like you saw him naked!_ And then my thoughts went to what he might look like naked, what that muscled body would be like sans clothing. _Oh, fuck._ I couldn't stop the blush this time and dipped my head, willing it to go away.

The chair across from mine scrapped along the floor quietly as he sat down. He and Esme exchanged a brief conversation before we started eating, though what they talked about I couldn't say. The blood was pounding in my ears far too loudly. The next month was going to be the longest of my life.

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_**Reviews are welcome (and secretly longed for). I'm putting another chapter up on Flirting with Disaster tomorrow afternoon so be on the lookout. : ): ): )**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_The usual disclaimer applies._**

**_Sorry it took so long to get this posted. : (_ **

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**Edward POV**

I hadn't intended to answer the knock on the door half-naked. Honest, I hadn't. But Carlisle had me so distracted after his phone call that, while I'd grabbed a shirt to put on as soon as I heard the knock, I had apparently forgotten to actually put it on before I opened the door. Staring down at a blushing Bella had been my first clue. I hadn't even remembered to button my pants.

After she mumbled something about dinner being ready she all but ran for the stairs. I couldn't stop the smile that crossed my face. She was cute in her embarrassment, really. I shook my head, getting rid of the thought, and ran my fingers through my damp hair. It'd be dry in a few minutes.

I pulled on my shoes and left my shirt un-tucked as I hurried downstairs. I followed the smell into the dining room where I took a seat across from Bella, who was blushing again. How innocent was she that just seeing a man without his shirt on made her blush so much? It had to have been something else. A thought she had, maybe. I'd seen virgins who blushed less then she did.

"So, Edward. I've called ahead and arranged for a rental car to be ready for you," Esme said, putting a piece of cornbread on the small plate next to her bowl. "I'll have Bella drive you into town to pick it up."

I glanced at Bella but she was staring down at her bowl, acting like she hadn't heard a word Esme said. This amused me as I saw the blush starting to fade from her face. Guess I knew who she was ignoring. I turned back to Esme.

"That sounds fine. Is there an internet connection here? I need to get some e-mails sent off."

Esme nodded and spread some butter on her bread. "We have wireless in the house and the barn. But it doesn't stretch much further then that."

That was pretty much the extent of the serious conversation until dinner was over. Bella stood and gathered our plates and bowls and took them into the kitchen, rinsing them off before loading them in the dishwasher, speaking to Esme as she did. "I have to go back out to the pit before it gets too dark, Aunt Esme."

Esme sighed and folded her napkin on the table. "Did you get your truck stuck again?"

Bella came back into the room with a small, unashamed smile on her face and leaned against the dividing wall between kitchen and dining room. "Yeah. I tried to follow Mike but his big tires dug the mud out too much for me to be able to get through."

Esme stood and I followed her example, pushing my chair into the table and following them back into the kitchen. "Sam going with you?" Esme asked. Bella nodded and her and Esme shared a long look before Bella turned and looked at me. "Do you want to come with, Edward? See a little bit of the country side of fun?"

I arched a brow at this and looked down at my clothes. "I don't think I'm dressed appropriately for digging around in the mud."

Bella grinned and looked away, back to Esme. "Don't you still have some of Uncle Joe's old jeans?"

Esme gave me a once over, probably judging whether or not me and Uncle Joe are the same size, before nodding and turning toward the stairs. I looked back at Bella, leaning my hip against the counter.

"So, city boy," she said, breaking the silence. "Ever been to a mud pit?"

I shook my head, crossing my arms over my chest. "No, can't say that I have. It'll be a new experience for me."

She snorted, brushing her hair back from her face. "Yeah, I can probably give you a lot of those while you're here." And then she realized what she said and rushed to apologize while her face flamed. "Oh, damn. I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

I couldn't stop the grin at her words and laughed softly. "It's okay, Bella. I know what you meant."

Before she could say anything else, Esme came back into the room with a pair of jeans slung over her arm and old hiking boots in her hand. She handed both to me. "I don't know if you have any boots with you but I wouldn't recommend wearing those shoes out to the pit. You can keep these for your stay here."

I took the jeans and boots from her, nodded my thanks, and headed upstairs. I changed quickly, not wanting to keep Bella waiting since she said she wanted to do everything before the sun went down. It was still bright outside but it was getting late and it wouldn't stay bright. The jeans fit perfectly and I didn't even need a belt. Good thing, too, since all mine were fine leather. I pulled on a black button down, instead of the white one I'd been wearing, and the boots. Seems like me and Uncle Joe could've shared a closet.

Back downstairs, Esme told me Bella was already outside. I found her just past the deck, straddled across the ATV and waiting for me. She patted the seat behind her and handed me a pair of sunglasses which I took with a confused look. "It rained last night and mud hurts getting in your eyes," she explained.

I shrugged and slipped the glasses on, getting on to the back of the ATV behind her. She looked at me over her shoulder. "Hold on tight. Wouldn't want you to fall off." I put my hands on her waist and she shook her head, laughing softly to herself. She hit the gas and I immediately knew why she was laughing. My fingers curled into her shirt was the only thing that saved me from falling off the back. I quickly wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, the front of my body pressed against her back.

She didn't slow down even when we reached the line of trees. I noticed there was a rough trail and figured she knew her way well enough not to need to slow down. The wind whipped her hair across my face and I caught the distinct scent of strawberries.

A few minutes later she stopped and we got off. We were in large, muddy clearing and right in the middle of the biggest section of mud I had ever seen was an old lifted Chevy , complete with thirty-six inch mud tires. There was another truck parked a dozen feet from us that was bigger then the Chevy. This one had tires that came up to just above my elbow with huge treads.

The door to this truck opened and the driver dropped down to the ground. He was tall and dark skinned with long black hair pulled back into a tail at his neck. Bella went over and gave him a hug and brought him back over to where I was still standing by the ATV.

"Sam, this is Edward. He's staying with us for a while on business. His dad is a friend of Esme's." Sam held out his hand and I shook it as Edward made the reverse introduction. "Edward, this is my friend Sam. He's part of the reason my truck's still stuck." The playful look she gave him made him laugh.

"Hey, Bells, you're the one that tried to follow after Newton, not me."

She grinned and started toward his truck. "Yeah, but you dragged me out here this morning, knowing I would try and one-up Mike when he showed up." Sam gave me a look that clearly said there was no winning with her. I smiled and followed him as he went around to the back of his truck and let the tailgate down. He put his hands on Bella's waist and lifted her up.

"So, Edward, what kind of business are you here for?" Sam asked as he watched Bella pulling chains out of the toolbox that stretched across the bed of the truck.

I glanced at him, watching the protective way he watched Bella. "Alexi Laboratories in Atlanta is asking my father's company for funding for their medical research. I'm here to see if their research and what not warrants the amount of funding they're asking for."

Sam looked at me with a curious expression on his face. "How much are they asking for?"

I rattled off a large number and he whistled as Bella came back to this end of the truck, handing down huge chain that he proceeded to wrap around his hitch. She grinned at me as she crouched down on the tailgate. Even down, the tailgate was at my shoulder. The truck was huge.

"How did your father and my aunt meet?" She asked, handing a second, smaller chain down to Sam when he finished with the bigger one.

"That's actually a really good question," I answered. "I really have no idea."

"Mm. We should find out." Sam stood and she held her arms out to him, putting them on his shoulders while his were back at her waist. He helped her down and when she was on her feet again I asked, "Can't jump down?"

She blushed and Sam laughed, pushing the tailgate up. He had a good six inches on my six foot nothing so it wasn't such a chore for him to do as it would have been for me. "Every time she insists on getting down on her own she falls and usually breaks something."

Bella slapped the back of her hand against Sam's chest, rubbing her hand afterward but looking satisfied at the sharp exhale she caused. "I haven't broken anything in months, jerk. Last time it was just a sprain."

He just grinned at her and went around to his door. "If I'm such a jerk, you can get in on your own."

She glared at him and I followed her around to the passenger side. She placed a foot on the front tire and used the brush guard to pull herself up, catching her balance with her hands on the hood. She moved sideways, putting a foot on the running board and gripped the door handle. Scooting sideways, she opened the door and then lost her footing. She fell backwards and I instinctively reached out, catching her in my arms before she could hit the ground.

I could feel her heart pounding in her chest through her back as she stayed cradled in my arms for a few seconds. Her brown eyes looked up and met mine and I had the sudden urge to kiss her slightly parted lips. I quickly put her back on her feet and cleared my throat, pretending not to see her blush as I put my hands on her waist and helped her up, mimicking Sam earlier.

Once in the passenger seat, she silence Sam's howling laughter with a hard punch directed somewhere near his lap. I heard his gasping breath and saw him leaning his forehead against the steering wheel. Guess I knew what she hit.

She reached behind her and unlocked the back door. I grabbed the handle that, unlike Bella, I could actually reach, and pulled myself up. From the backseat I could clearly see Sam still holding his groin while his other hand put the truck in gear and he drove out into the mud pit. The big tread on the tires meant he didn't have to be careful where he went. He backed right up to the front of Bella's truck and put it in park though he left the engine running.

Bella climbed into the backseat next to me and offered a small smile before she started to wiggle through the back window I hadn't even noticed was there. I got a nice view of her jeans-clad ass as she forced her body through the window and onto the toolbox in the bed. Once she was through, I opened my door and pulled myself out to stand on the running board.

Sam was already unwinding the chain around the hitch and I heard Bella tell him to watch out a second before she let down the tailgate. She backed up a few steps and ran to the edge, taking a leap of the edge of the tailgate and landing with both feet firmly on the hood of her truck.

"Hey, Edward. Want to help out?" Sam asked, making it clear that I could help if I wanted to but that if I decided not too, it wasn't a big deal.

I glanced at the mud before shrugging and climbing down. I immediately sunk about two inches and it was slow going to get to where Sam was. Bella had gotten down to her own running boards and was opening her driver's side door. I reached Sam and was thankful that I hadn't decided to keep my dress shoes on. They'd have been ruined.

Sam handed me part of the chain and I realized that the chain split about halfway into two separate ends, each with a hook on the end. He crouched down by the front of Bella's truck and I followed his example. He was explaining how, with Bella's truck being made before car makers switched to fiberglass bodies, we could pretty much hook the chains to wherever we wanted and be able to pull her out. "But," he added. "Bella loves her truck and doesn't want the dents that would come with that idea so we have to make sure we hook the chains to the frame instead of the body."

He reached his arm under the truck and found what he was looking for a lot quicker then I did. He came over to my side and helped guide me to the part of the frame that had a loop already welded to it. He grinned when we stood, mud covers our jeans from the knees down and smeared across our arms and hands. "You'll learn. I have a feeling Bella will be dragging you out here a lot before you leave."

Bella, having either heard this or grown impatient, honked at us. Sam just smiled at her and she flipped him. We climbed back into the truck, me in the passenger seat this time, and he put it in drive. We eased forward, pulling the chain taut before he floored it and we started inching forward, Bella's old truck being dragged through the mud behind us.

It took just under ten minutes of us pulling and Bella steering to keep the truck from going sideways before we got her onto steady ground. Once there, we got back out of the truck and went to unchain her.

Bella was already out of her truck and working on the first chain. Sam got the second and then pulled the tailgate down. Again, he lifted Bella up then handed her the chains and she put them in the toolbox. "You want to load the ATV into your bed, Bella?" Sam asked as he helped her down.

"It doesn't fit, remember?" She wiped her muddy hands on her jeans, leaving streaks on the denim before looking up at me. "Do you mind driving the truck out of here?"

"Yeah, sure. Is there another way out of here or just the way we came?" I asked, taking the keys she handed me.

"There's another trail. I'll show you." She went and hugged same and, after thanking him for his help, he drove off, heading in the direction that I assumed we would be heading in soon. She went over to the ATV then drove it back to where I was with her truck. "Follow me out."

I got in her truck, sliding onto the worn leather bench seat, and put the key in the ignition. The truck roared to life with a deafening sound and Bella started off in the same direction Sam had gone. The path we took was almost as pocketed as the driveway leading up to Bella's house but it was much shorter and we were back on the property in a matter of minutes. I parked the truck in the drive while Bella drove the ATV around back.

I kicked off my boots on the front porch and rolled my jeans up so I didn't track mud through the living room. Bella came in through the back door and I met her in the kitchen. "Well that was interesting," I said.

She grinned and brushed against me on her way to the fridge. I felt my arm tingle where she'd touched it and wondered at my reaction. I'd been with a lot of girls in my time, not that I was a slut, mind, but none had ever made me tingle just from an innocent brush of skin.

I was brought from my thoughts by Bella handing me a cookie. I took it from her and must have looked confused because she said, "Do you not eat cookies?"

I smirked at her. "Yeah, I eat cookies." She blushed at the look I gave her, which had been the intention. She bit into the cookie that was in her hand and leaned against the counter.

"So," I said, breaking my cookie in half and eating the first half, "How long have you lived out here?" I mirrored her position against the opposite counter.

"Since I was six," she finished off her cookie and hopped up on the counter, leaning her back against the cabinets.

"Where's your parents, if you don't mind me asking?"

She sighed and shifted. "My mom got remarried and he didn't want any kids that weren't his. And my dad died when I was a baby."

"Oh." Now I felt like an ass. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

She shrugged and met my gaze. "It's okay. I enjoy it here. Always have. Esme's great."

"What happened to your uncle?" I'd heard them talk about an Uncle Joe but I hadn't seen any sign of his presence.

"He died about ten years," she said. Wow, could I pick the right questions to ask. "But don't feel bad. He died with a smile on his face and Esme's never cried about it. That doesn't mean she didn't love him," she said quickly, defending her aunt from an assumption I hadn't made. "Just that they both knew it was coming and had accepted it."

I nodded and finished my cookie, crossing my arms across my chest once my hands were empty. I stared down at my shoes, trying to find a way to break the suddenly awkward silence when she spoke up again. "So, you look really young to be the vice president of a whole company."

I shrugged, looking back up at her. "I graduated high school a year early so I got my college out of the way pretty quick. And plus, I helped my dad found the company so he thought it only right to put me in a high position." Another shrug; I was a little uncomfortable about that fact. "I tried to tell him I didn't want the position but he assured me that I would earn it and I have. So it's not such a big deal anymore."

She offered a small smile and slid off the counter to go back to leaning against it. "You avoided my cleverly disguised question. How old are you?"

I grinned at her perception. "I'm twenty-three. What about you?"

She straightened a bit, looking ready to defend herself against an attack. "I'm nineteen."

I held up my hands against her defensive tone. "Easy now. I wasn't criticizing, just asking."

She relaxed and smiled again and I couldn't help but notice how her face lit up when she smiled. _Stop it, Edward. She's too young for you._ Not that that really mattered. She wasn't that much younger.

We stayed and chatted for a while longer, finally leaving the kitchen when Esme came into the room and announced that it was after midnight. I followed Bella upstairs, keeping my eyes on the stairs to avoid looking at her ass again. Once safely behind my closed door I picked up my laptop and spent the next half hour sending off the e-mails I'd meant to send off after dinner, before shutting down the computer and going to bed.

**Bella POV**

I was awake at the crack of dawn the next morning, despite the fact that I didn't get to sleep until almost three. I laid in bed for another hour, listening to the sounds of the world waking up outside my open window, trying to go back to sleep but it was no use. Around seven thirty I finally got up and got in the shower, taking my own sweet time to try and kill a few minutes more.

Esme had asked that I take Edward to Atlanta to pick up his rental car and make a visit to the company he was here to watch over, or whatever it was he was doing. I might have said no except I needed to go to Atlanta anyway, so I figured, why not?

Once out of the shower I dressed in clean blue jeans and a black spaghetti strap top. I'd throw another shirt on before we left but for my morning chores, the top was fine.

Showered and dressed, I headed downstairs. Esme was already making breakfast and I could hear the sound of water turning on upstairs. Edward was up.

Esme smiled when I came into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. "Good morning, Bella."

I smiled back and moved to the back door. "'Morning," I said, opening the door. "I'm going to go feed the horses." She nodded and I shut the door behind me, walking out into the cool morning air. I loved summer mornings.

Once in the stables, I scooped feed into each of the six bins, turning the water hose on and filling the water trough that stretched along the back wall behind the stables. I spent the next half hour running a brush through each mane and tail, my own personal morning ritual, thinking I might go out riding today if we got back with enough daylight left. I didn't mind riding at night but Esme always got worried.

Speaking of Esme, I heard her calling from the direction of the house and finished up what I was doing. I washed my hands as soon as I got back into the kitchen and joined Esme and Edward at the table. I took the same seat from the night before, directly across from Edward. At least this time I wasn't blushing furiously. What a relief.

"What time are you heading into Atlanta?" Esme asked, looking to me. I shrugged and looked at Edward, tossing the ball into his court. "Whenever Edward's ready to go."

He mimicked my shrug and cut into his gravy covered biscuit. "I'm ready to go whenever you are. I'd like to go early, though, so I can get to Alexi Laboratories."

I nodded and we ate the rest of our breakfast in an easy silence. I cleared the plates and loaded up the dishwasher, turning the now full machine on to wash. I'd unload it when I got back.

Esme had gone out to the barn to saddle up one of the horses. I'd put good money on it that she was taking Vera out; she was Esme's favorite. Esme had been planning to ride out to the Blacks' ranch for a while now and I guess she was taking the opportunity since Edward and I both would be gone most of the day.

Edward went upstairs to grab his stuff and I went to my room to put a shirt over my tank top, a dark red sleeveless v-neck with a hood. Esme thought the hood and no sleeves was pointless. I thought it looked cool.

He was already downstairs by the time I found my keys. We got in the truck and I cranked it over, the thundering roar settling into a deep rumble that relaxed my body. I loved this truck. I fiddled with the radio, picking up one of the only two radio stations that reached this far out.

"Country?" Edward asked, arching a brow at me.

I mimicked his expression, putting the truck in gear and starting down the long drive. "Welcome to Georgia."

He smirked, settling back against the bench seat and rolling down the window. Yeah, no automatic windows in this baby. I cranked down my own window and let my arm hang out, enjoying the feel of the morning air circulating through the truck.

The silence between us was oddly comfortable, as though we hadn't only just met yesterday. I turned the volume up when 'That Song in My Head' by Julianne Hough came on, singing along with a confidence I didn't feel. I never did, singing in front of people. Even with the radio. But, I forced it, let myself have the fun I would have had driving by myself.

Edward was grinning at me when I finished and turned the radio down. "Like that song, do you?"

I grinned back, holding my hand out the window, letting the air pass through my fingers. "Figure that one out all by yourself?"

He laughed and turned a little in the seat, his elbow out the window, facing me more then he had been. "I do have some semblance of intelligence. Even in the face of a beautiful girl with a great voice."

Ooh, he was good. And I was blushing. Gah! "Well… that's… thanks." Edward, one. Bella, a big fat zero. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. "But I'm not a girl."

He arched his brow again and I could tell he had a smart remark coming. "No? Is there something you should tell me about? Because you certainly look like a girl to me." And he very pointedly glanced down to my chest before looking back to my face. Most guys I would have accused of just wanting to stare at my chest, but with him I had the feeling he was just trying to be funny.

I blushed again and adjusted my top, covering a little more of my revealed cleavage. "Very funny. Don't make me prove to you just how much of a _woman _I really am." And I could not believe I had just said that! Holy freakin' cow, Bella. What is _wrong _with you.

A slow, crooked smile stretched across his face and I felt my heart stutter. Oh. Wow. I had the urge to follow through with my comment if he would just keep smiling like that. It was by far the sexiest thing I had seen in… well… ever.

He slid closer to me across the seat, his hand reaching out the brush my hair off my shoulder to fall down by back. He leaned in and spoke, a husky whisper that brushed across my ear. "Breath. Bella." He said it slow, making it two sentences. And each one brought my heart into my throat and sent my hormones on overdrive.

I took a deep, gasping breath and he chuckled, running his fingers across the back of my neck. Electricity coursed down my spine and if the road wasn't completely deserted, we might have been in trouble. "Maybe you shouldn't make offers you don't intend to follow through with."

My breath was coming faster as he spoke in that sexy, husky, fuck-me voice. Oh, _fuck_ me. I was about ten seconds away from pulling the truck over and climbing into his lap when he slid back across the seat, his back to the corner where the seat met the door, elbow back out the window.

I looked over at him and blushed at the expression on his face. Amusement mixed with desire. The promise in his eyes made things low in my body, things that never been touched with any form of experience, clench tight. I turned my gaze back to the road and, for the rest of the drive into Atlanta, refused to even look at him, though I felt his eyes on me the whole ride.

I dropped him off at the car rental place, finally looking over at him when he leaned in the passenger side window. "We'll finish this discussion later." As if it hadn't been an entire hour since we'd last said anything to each other.

I blushed, hard and dipped my head, letting my hair fall in a curtain to block his smirk. "Where can I meet you when I'm done? I'll need to follow you back to the ranch." And he sounded so damn _calm. _While here I was, watching helplessly as my hormones stood up and did the wave. Fucking, betraying, self-satisfying hormones.

I cleared my throat and put the truck into reverse. "Meet me at Lennox Mall. Just call me when you're done and I'll give you directions." I started to back out but him simple saying, "Wait," stopped me.

"I don't have your number." Damn him and that cocky smirk. He handed me his cell phone, one of those fancy ones that could break into a tap dance and do the hula on command, and I put my number into it. I quickly handed it back, muttered a "See you later" and took off, attempting to salvage what was left of my dignity.

I thought, as I made my way to the mall, that maybe I shouldn't play games with Edward Cullen. Maybe, just maybe, he was way the hell out of my league. Who was I kidding? There was no 'maybe' about it. Mental sigh.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry it took so long to update. I was working on Flirting with Disaster and a one-shot for the DTE Contest. But now, ish updated! 333**_

**_For pictures of Bella's truck, Sam's truck from chapter two, and Edward's rental car, visit my profile page and follow the links. :)_**

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****Edward POV**

I spent the rest of the morning in an unscheduled meeting with the founder and head honchos of Alexi Laboratories, discussing everything from their application for funding to the scientists they employed. I had high hopes for this company from the beginning, and after meeting with everyone and seeing things first hand, I knew that my report to Carlisle tonight would be positive.

It was a little after one when the meeting came to a close and I took my briefcase out to my rental car, a sleek Mercedes CLK 230 Compressor. It was probably the least expensive rental car I'd ever driven and by far the most fun. I wanted one and would probably end up adding it to my garage when I got back to Chicago, if for no other reason than to see how much more horsepower I could put into it.

I sighed and loosened my tie, shrugging out of my suit jacket and draping it over the back of the passenger seat. It had been comfortable this morning when we'd left; now it was just plain hot. I was already sweating and wondered again how people could stand it down here.

Thoughts of this morning brought my mind around to the ride into Atlanta and I sighed again. I had completely ignored my own intentions where it came to Bella and flirted shamelessly with her. Admittedly, she had set herself up for the whole exchange but still. I should have controlled myself better. It's bad enough that I _want _to flirt with the niece of my father's friend.

I ran my hand through my hair, glancing at my watch before pulling my phone out of my pocket. I was done here and needed directions either back to the ranch or over to whatever mall Bella had said to meet her at.

I felt a small smile tug at my lips as I thought about when she dropped me off. She'd been so flustered and it'd been so cute. Shaking my head at my own thoughts, I scrolled through the phonebook. I found the entry for Bella Swan and hit the call button. It rang three times before going to voicemail.

"_Hey, guys, I can__'__t answer my phone right now so just leave me a message and I__'__ll get back to you.__"_

Her message had a slight southern accent that I hadn't heard before and I found myself wanting to hang up and call back, just to hear it again. I resisted the urge and cleared my throat, leaving her a message telling her to call me and leaving my number. After I hung up I stood leaning against the side of my rental, wondering what the hell was wrong with me.

I looked up when I heard the quiet sound of a door opening to see Marcus, the founder of Alexi Laboratories, come outside and pull a small box out of his pocket. I couldn't stop the amused snort. The founder for a research team trying to find a cure-all for cancer was a smoker. There was just too much irony there to ignore.

I shut the door to the Mercedes and crossed the parking lot. Marcus had lit his cigarette and taken the first drag, a look of pure bliss on his face. He lifted his head as I approached, giving me a small wave. I offered a friendly smile as I stopped a few feet in front of him and voiced my earlier thought. "Isn't that a little ironic?" I gestured to his cigarette.

He looked at the cancer stick before taking another drag, letting the smoke out on a laugh. "A little, yeah." He held the cigarette out to me but I just waved my hand, rejecting the offer. I didn't smoke. Marcus shrugged and finished it off himself, dropping the filter to the ground and grinding it under his shoe.

"So what drives a man to smoke while hunting for a cure for the very thing he's bringing on himself?" I asked, moving to lean against the wall beside him, mimicking his position.

He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I founded Alexi Laboratories when my wife got sick about ten years back. She went to doctor after doctor but none of them could figure out what was wrong with her. They kept telling her she was fine and would prescribe some drug or another in an attempt to alleviate her fears." He shifted uncomfortably and I regretted asking. He kept his head down but I could hear the pain in his voice. "The weeks went by and she started got sicker, her body getting weaker. We finally found a doctor here in Atlanta who was able to help. He found the cancer but by then it had spread so far that the chances of her surviving were ridiculously slim."

I opened my mouth, fully intending to offer my sympathies or apologize for bringing it up but he continued before I could. "She went through the usual surgeries to try and remove the majority of the cancer and then suffered through the chemo but none of it helped. It just kept coming back and continued spreading. Finally, she asked me if we could just stop trying. She knew she was going to die and she wanted to enjoy the rest of her time, not spend it in pain."

He took a deep, steadying breath and lifted his face to the sun, a small smile on his lips. "She survived a lot longer than any of the doctors predicated and we made the most of it. About six months after she died, they developed a better treatment that they said could have saved her life. It was then that I made the decision that I didn't want anyone else to have to suffer through what we did only to find out a cure or treatment came too late to help."

I was silent for a minute, wondering what to say to that. I couldn't even begin to imagine going through something like that. Finally, I said the only thing I was thinking. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

He smiled, the pain in his face fading behind the smile. "It's okay. It was a long time ago."

I nodded, unable to think of anything else. My phone ringing interrupted the uncomfortable silence that had settled between us. I dug it out of my pocket and looked at the number before turning to Marcus. "I'll be sending a report to Carlisle tonight recommending we start the funding immediately. I like what I've seen here so far and I look forward to working with you."

He straightened and ran his hands down his suit jacket, all business now as he nodded. The pain on his face disappeared and he held his hand out. "Thank you, Mr. Cullen. I really appreciate it."

I shook his offered hand and smiled. "Please call me Edward. Every time I hear Mr. Cullen I have to look around to make sure my father isn't here."

Marcus laughed as he turned to go back into the building. I answered my phone as I headed back to my car. "Hello."

"Hey." Her voice was soft, hesitant. Was she still flustered from our earlier encounter? "You called?"

I slid into the Mercedes, turning the car on and the radio down. "I'm finished up

here. Where did you want me to meet you?"

She gave me directions to a place called Lennox Mall, the mall she'd mentioned earlier. I wrote them in the little notebook I'd pulled from my briefcase, not wanting to get lost in a strange city.

It took me almost half an hour to find the mall and then a parking place. I got out of the car and rolled my sleeves up above my elbow, heading for the entrance. Once inside, I had to call Bella again to figure out where she was. I followed the mall directory directions to the food court and had to stop and look for her. I found her sitting with six other people and weaved my way through the crowd toward her.

I was coming up behind her when I heard one of the two other girls she was sitting with ask, "So he's living with you? Is he cute?"

I paused and watched Bella shrug, picking a French fry off the plate of the guy sitting next to her. He had his arm across the back of her chair and I was shocked at the irritation this brought out in me. "His dad is friends with Esme so yeah, he's staying with us." I noticed she hadn't answered the girls' other question and apparently I wasn't the only one.

"Oh come on, Bella. Is he cute or what?" The second girl asked.

Bella made an irritated sound and sat back in her chair, arms crossing over her stomach. "Yes, he's cute. He's fucking gorgeous. But he's not interested so don't even ask, Jessica." Fucking gorgeous, huh? Well, that was promising.

I closed the distance and stopped right behind her, my hands casually in my pockets. "Fucking gorgeous, Bella?" Jessica was staring at me, her mouth open and her eyes wide. The other girl was looking at me as well but her look was calculating instead of dumbfounded.

Bella cursed and nearly jumped out of her skin, knocking her knees into the table as she spun around. The pain didn't even register as she gave me wide eyes. The girl whose name I didn't know said, "Busted, Bella." I smirked as a blush rushed up Bella's neck and covered her entire face.

She turned back around as I pulled up a chair and sat next to her, her hair cascading over her shoulder and hiding her face from me. I knew I should probably have let it go but I couldn't resist teasing her a little more. "I didn't know you thought of me in such colorful terms, Bella."

Bella looked at me and her eyes were narrowed, her red face set in stubborn lines. "Bite me. You're cute, get over it." She turned back to her friends, all of whom were laughing at her embarrassment. I almost felt bad about calling her out. That is, until she came to her own defense. "Oh, shut it, all of you. And close your mouth, Jessica, it's rude to stare."

Jessica shut her mouth quickly and blushed, not as hard as Bella had but still enough to notice. I grinned and sat back in my chair, bringing my ankle up to rest on my knee. "Are you going to introduce me to your friends?"

I met her glare with a smile and she made a disgusted sound before gesturing to the guy sitting next to her, the one she'd stolen a fry from. "This is Jacob. Sam's little brother." Jacob gave me a very obvious once over, his dark eyes not looking too pleased with what he saw. He moved his arm from the back of Bella's chair to her shoulders as he leaned across her, offering his other hand to me to shake. I did, meeting his almost jealous gaze with a calm greeting.

"Chill out, Jake. He's just here on business." Bella shrugged out from under Jake's arm and I got the feeling this was a discussion they'd had before.

Bella continued the introduction, going around the table. The girl sitting next to Jake who had given me the calculating look was named Angela. Ben was next to her with his arm around her waist. Mike was next - I remember hearing his name; he'd been the one Bella had followed into a hole - then Tyler and finally Jessica, who was sitting next to me.

Jessica had recovered by this point and when Bella introduced her, she gave me a sweet, seductive smile that would have fit in perfectly with the girls back home. The ones who were always trying to gain social status by being on some rich suckers arm for a night. I disliked her immediately.

When the introductions were finished, Bella turned back to me. "Want to get some lunch or have you eaten already?"

I shook my head and glanced at Jessica, feeling her intense stare on me. She was looking at me like I was a piece of meat. It was a stare I recognized, again from the girls back home, but still not one I particularly liked. "No, I haven't eaten yet."

Bella must have noticed Jessica's staring, too, because she sent a glare her way before standing. I followed her lead and put my chair back where I'd gotten it while she said goodbye to her friends.

Jacob stood and pulled Bella in close to him, whispering something into her ear though his eyes never left me. I had a feeling Jake wasn't going to accept the 'here on business' excuse, even if was true. Their whispered conversation came to a close and she hugged him.

I was surprised when she grabbed my wrist and led me away from the group, letting go once we were out of the food court. "Sorry about Jake. He's a little… overprotective."

I snorted, my hands going back to my pockets. "Not exactly the word I would use, but okay."

She stopped and turned to look at me, a frown drawing her brows together. "What word would you use, then?" Her tone made it clear she thought I was about to bad mouth her friend. I wasn't, at least not out loud.

I arched a single brow, wondering if she really didn't see it. "Jealous."

She opened her mouth, closed it, and blushed, looking down at the floor. Before I could stop myself, my hand had reached out and brushed her hair back from her face. She looked up at me, a guarded look in her eyes. "I'm sorry. We've been friends since I moved here. He just doesn't want me to get hurt."

I gave her a gentle smile and dropped my hand away. "And he thinks just because I'm staying with you that I'm going to steal your heart and leave you broken?"

She blushed again and laughed, a melodic sound that I enjoyed immensely. "More like he thinks because you're a guy, that you're going to steal my heart and leave me broken." She brushed her hair back behind her ears and started walking back toward the entrance. "I told him you weren't interested so hopefully he'll back off."

"Who says I'm not interested?" I whispered, too low for her to hear. It was probably for the better. It wouldn't do to let her know that most girls I met were in my bed after the first night and out of my life after the second. That was usually their choice, though. Social climbers weren't known for steady relationships.

"Give me a ride to my truck so you know where I'm at." She pulled a pair of sunglasses from where they'd been hooked into her pocket and slipped them on her face. It was the same pair she'd been wearing when I first saw her and it brought back the image of her covered in mud, making me smile. The memory brought a whole new meaning to 'dirty girl'. _Oh, you__'__re funny, Edward_, I thought sarcastically.

I led her to where I parked around the block and pressed the remote, unlocking the car. She looked at me, a strange look on her face. I frowned at her. "What?"

She stared at me for a second before she shrugged and went around to the passenger side. "Nothing. Just expected a little more flash." She disappeared into the car while I was staring at her, wondering what to make of that comment.

I shook my head and opened my door, dropping down into the seat and starting the car. "Why did you expect more flash?"

She shrugged again as I pulled away from the curb and merged into traffic. "I just figured, you know, prominent businessman and all, that you would want to make an impression while you're here."

I glanced at her as we came to a stop light and she pointed, indicating I should turn left. The light turned green and I went left, not saying anything as she gave me silent directions. I pulled into a parking garage and found her truck on the second level. The space next to her truck was empty so I pulled in and parked, turning to look at her.

"Why do you think I need to have an expensive car to make an impression?" My voice was soft in the quiet car. "What kind of impression do you think I wanted to make?"

She was looking down at her hands clasped in her lap, her hair hiding her face from me. I was beginning to recognize a defensive gesture. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

I sighed and sat back in my seat, running my hand through my hair. "I'm not that kind of guy, Bella. I don't flaunt my money if I don't have to."

She nodded, her hair still blocking my view of her face. "I didn't mean to imply that you did. I'm sorry." She looked up and I could finally see the blush on her face. She glanced at me and smiled, an embarrassed expression that preceded a nervous laugh. "I just get nervous around you. Makes me say things before I think about them."

I turned in my seat a little so I could see her better. "Nervous?"

She shrugged. "Yeah." Another laugh. "I get socially awkward around cute guys."

My lips tugged up into a crooked grin as I remembered what I'd heard at the mall. "Don't you mean 'fucking gorgeous' guys?"

She blushed again but shook her head, laughing as she pushed the door open. "Don't get cocky, Edward. I think you're cute. That's it." And then she shut the door and unlocked her truck.

I laughed to myself and backed out of the parking spot, giving her room to do the same. I followed her out of the parking garage and onto the streets of Atlanta.

**Bella POV**

My heart was pounding in my chest and I was having trouble breathing. I couldn't believe he'd overheard my conversation at the mall. Jessica had been bugging me for details ever since I met up with her and Angela this morning and it just so happened that the object of our discussion happened to show up right when I finally caved under the questioning.

Edward's amusement had eased the embarrassment a bit; I couldn't even imagine what I would have done if he'd been angry. I was just glad he'd taken it in stride, teasing me a little but letting it go pretty quickly.

Jacob and the rest of the guys had met up with us right before lunch. He'd already heard about Edward from his brother, Sam, and had formed his own opinion on my houseguest. Jessica's persistent questioning had only made things worse and by the time Edward had actually shown up, Jake was in a foul mood.

When I introduced him to Edward, I'd felt the arm on my shoulders and mentally sighed. Jake was trying to mark a territory that wasn't his and hadn't been for a very long time. We'd dated for a few months back when I was sixteen but it had been awkward and weird, since we'd been friends for so long, so we'd broken up. Ever since then, though, he'd been the big brother I never had and rarely wanted. Especially after a failed relationship a few years back.

I didn't think it would be such a good idea to stick around so I made the decision to show Edward one of the local casual dining restaurants for lunch. When I stood, Jake had stood with me and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into the comfortable warmth that, despite my annoyance at him, made me feel safe. No matter how forward he was with some people, his intentions were honorable and he would never let me get hurt. Not again. We may not have worked out as a couple, but we loved each other. It was just the kind of love families share, as opposed to lovers.

"I don't like him, Bella," he whispered, his breath brushing my ear. It brought none of the electric heat that I had experienced earlier with Edward. "He looks at you like you're something to eat."

I suppressed a sigh and turned my head so that my cheek was pressed to Jake's, my lips near his ear. "It's okay, Jake. He's just staying with us for a while, until he finishes his business here. Then he's going back to Chicago and you won't have to worry anymore."

Jake sighed and nodded, hugging me tighter as he pressed a kiss to my neck. I kissed him in the same spot and pulled away, saying goodbye to the rest of my friends and dragging Edward away before someone said something.

I tried to apologize for Jake's behavior, not wanting Edward to think that my friends didn't like him. I knew what it was like to be around a bunch of people you didn't know. It wasn't a good feeling to have them dislike you without a good reason. Edward pointing out that Jake was jealous as opposed to overprotective stopped me. Jake wasn't jealous, but I couldn't stand there and explain the real reason for his being so protective. For one, it wasn't any of Edward's business and for two, I didn't want to think about it.

Instead, I just apologized again and hoped he'd drop the subject. His next comment, about Jake being worried that Edward would steal my heart and leave me broken, hit too close to home for me. I couldn't decide if Edward was just that perceptive or if it was just a lucky guess. I decided to go with a lucky guess and made a generalized version of the comment in response.

I sighed and brought myself back to the present, not wanting to continue my train of thought. I hadn't thought about James in a while and I didn't want to break my record just yet. Especially when I should be focusing on the stop and go traffic of inner city Atlanta.

I turned down a side street, glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure Edward was still following, and slowed to a stop, parking on the side of the one-way street. I ran my hands through my hair, smoothing it out, before I opened my door and hopped out. Edward was already out of his car and waiting for me.

"What are we doing?" he asked, leaning against the side of my truck.

"Going to lunch." I shrugged and locked up my truck. "Unless you'd rather just get fast food and head on back."

He shook his head and gestured for me to lead the way. "No, I'd rather not." His grimace made me think maybe he didn't like fast food. At least we agreed on something.

I led him back up the street and into a little deli that I liked to frequent when I was in the area. They had a huge selection of sandwiches, soups, pasta and salads. We went through the line, placing our order and paying for it. I picked up the check since I was ahead of him, earning myself a disapproving glare for my efforts. I just smiled and found us a table near the big window in front of the deli.

He sat down across from me, leaning his elbows on the table, hands clasped in front of him. I slouched down in my own chair, suddenly uncomfortable under his silent stare. I waited for him to say something, crossing my arms over my stomach after a few minutes. "What are you staring at?"

He shrugged, never looking away from my face. "You."

I snorted and gave him an irritated look. "Thank you, Captain Obvious. I hadn't figured that one out."

He laughed and sat back in his chair, giving room for our food that I hadn't even noticed had arrived. The girl who had brought our food out set my deli club in front of me, giving Edward a small smile as she put his salad down. He acknowledge her smile with one of his own but his was merely polite whereas hers was pure seduction. She lifted her small shoulders in a shrug, accepting his rejection and moving on. Classy.

"So you're going to sit here and stare at me for no reason, but you're going ignore that more than willing beauty that just walked away?" I asked, incredulous. I didn't like girls but even I could admit that the one who had just walked away was hot.

He sighed and drizzled Italian dressing onto his salad. "I see girls like her all the time back home. They use their beauty and their bodies for the chance to appear on the arm of some socialite at whatever party is being held."

I took a bite out of my sandwich before responding. "I take it you don't like easy girls."

He looked at me through his lashes as he ate his salad. "When the only thing I want is a romp between the sheets, they're fine. But I refuse to be put on display for the sake of someone's reputation and I try to avoid relations while I'm on a business trip, for the sake of _my _reputation."

I blushed briefly at his bluntness, concentrating on my sandwich. He didn't say anything else until he'd finished his salad. I still had half my sandwich left and would end up taking it with me. As always. He gestured to the remaining half of my lunch. "Aren't you going to finish?"

I shook my head, sitting back in my seat. "I'm full."

He smiled and shook his head. "It's a wonder you have any meat on you at all."

I gave him a look as I stood, going to get a box for my food. He was standing when I got back and waited patiently for me to put my sandwich in the box. He put a hand at the small of my back and guided me toward the door. Even that small touch made me shiver and I spared him a quick glance, trying to see if he noticed. Of course he had, and that smirk was back on his face, though he kept his eyes straight ahead. I should have been paying attention to where I was going instead of watching him.

I don't know if I tripped over something on the ground or if I tripped over my own two feet, but whatever it was, it sent me face first into the sidewalk. I managed to catch myself before my face hit the concrete but I scrapped up my palms pretty badly. My jeans protected my knees.

I heard a loud snort and looked up to see a group of three guys staring at me, the one in front trying not to laugh. He wasn't trying very hard. His two buddies looked to be on the verge of doubling over in their nearly silent laughter. I felt the blush rush up my face and kept my head down while I sat back on my knees, rubbing my palms on my jeans.

"Hey, why don't you assholes grow up and get the fuck out of here." The angry voice came from above me, vaguely recognizable as Edward's. I felt his hand wrap around my arm, just above my elbow, and gently pull me to my feet. His hand left my arm and ended on my waist, pulling me against his side.

The leader of the little group gave Edward a harsh glare. "Chill out, fucker. It was funny."

Edward took a step toward the guy, the expression on his face scaring even me. The guy held his hand up and turned, ushering his friends back the way they had come. Edward relaxed and looked down at me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, holding my stinging palms against my stomach and enjoying the feel of being so close to him. He took a step back, much to my disappoint, and took my hands in his, turning them up so he could examine my palms. The scrapes weren't really that bad, just barely deep enough to bleed. But they stung like a bitch and when he brushed his fingers across the torn skin, I hissed and pulled my hands back.

He sighed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, turning me in the direction of our cars. "Come on, let's get you home."

We made it back to the cars without any further incident and he waited while I fumbled with my keys. Once safely inside my truck, Edward went back to his car. I didn't hear his engine over the roar of my own but he gave me a wave that I saw in my rearview, letting me know he was ready.

I pulled back onto the main streets and led the way out of the city. It took us just under an hour to make the trip, my heavy foot pushing my truck to its limits. I'd embarrassed myself enough for one day and just wanted to get home. Edward's Mercedes kept up easily.

I used the button attached to my visor to open the garage door and eased my truck into its usual spot. Edward pulled in right beside me. Even with our two vehicles and Esme's Jeep Cherokee there was still plenty of room for another two cars.

I flexed my hands as I got out, my palms stiff with dried blood, and shut the door. I pushed the button on the wall to close the garage door and Edward and I ducked out before the door slid closed. Once outside, he pulled me to a stop to examine my hands again.

"I don't know why you're so worried. I've had worse injuries." I watched him examine my hands, wondering why he cared so much.

He looked up at my face and laughed, letting go of my hands. "Why am I not surprised?"

I blushed and shrugged, turning to go into the house. I used my key to get in the front door and looked around for Esme. She must still be out. A glance out the back door confirmed that the stables were locked up, indicating that she hadn't returned yet. If she had, the stables would be open and the horses in the pasture.

Edward came into the kitchen just as I was bending down to get the first aid kit out from under the sink. He cleared his throat and I stood quickly, banging the back of my head against the underside of the sink in the process. I straightened, slower this time, with the first aid kit in one hand and the other on the back of my head. I could feel the tears forming in my eyes as I fought past the throbbing pain.

When I finally opened my eyes and looked over at Edward, he looked pained. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

I rubbed the back of my head, wincing as I placed the first aid kit on the counter. "It's okay. Not the first time I've done that."

He chuckled and came over, sliding the kit away from my hands and opening it himself. He pulled out the Neosporin and a few Band-Aids. I sighed. "I can do this myself. I'm sure you have other things you need to do."

He pointedly ignored me, grabbing one of my hands gently and spreading the cool antiseptic over the scrapes. He put two band-aids on that palm and one on the other, covering the biggest of the scrapes but leaving the tiny ones alone. When he was done, he put the kit back and threw away the trash.

I was watching him move around the kitchen like he belonged there and couldn't stop the small smile that tugged at my lips. He glanced back at me then, noticing the smile and giving me a questioning look in return. "What's so funny?"

I shrugged, looking away and forcing the smile to disappear. "Nothing. Just thinking how comfortable you seem here."

He looked around, as if taking in the kitchen for the first time, before mimicking my shrug. "It's easy to fit in here. Not so many demands like there are back home."

I nodded, going to the fridge for the sole purpose of distracting myself. I was staring absently at the full shelves when the door was pushed closed. I looked over to see Edward watching me, an amused expression on his face. I frowned. "What is it?"

He smiled that crooked little half smile that had made my pulse race earlier. "We never finished our discussion."

It took me a moment to remember what he was talking about but when I did, the blush returned full force. I thought about playing ignorant but the blush had given me away already. "I thought it was finished."

He low chuckle reached my ears and I closed my eyes, trying to get control over my very out of control hormones. _Get a grip, Bella,_ I thought. _This so isn__'__t like you. _Yeah, tell me about it. But something about this guy just sent me into overdrive and I couldn't control it.

"No, we definitely were not finished." His voice matched the chuckle, low and seductive.

I let out a shaky breath, keeping my eyes closed. I didn't even want to attempt to look at him just yet. "What do we need to discuss?" Maybe if I could keep him talking, I could regain some semblance of the control I had was supposed to have over my body.

I didn't hear him move but I felt him coming closer until he was right behind me. I felt his fingers brush my hair back and I sighed, the air leaving my lungs in an unsteady rush. He leaned over my shoulder, his lips brushing across my ear. My head tilted to the side against my better judgment, giving him easier access. I felt him smile against my ear before he spoke. "We were discussing the repercussions of making offers you refuse to follow through on."

A soft sound fell from my lips as he pressed his lips to my neck. "Who says I refuse to follow through?" Holy fuck, did I just say that?

He growled and spun me around, pressing my back against the fridge and his body to mine. My hands came up, resting on his stomach, trying to keep some distance between us as I looked up into his dark emerald gaze. He dropped his head until his lips hovered just above mine until a hard thought would have brought us together. I was torn between wanting him to close that small distance and wanting to run for the hills.

"I'm trying very hard to control myself around you, Bella, out of respect for you, your aunt and my father." His words were deep, almost a growl and each movement of his lips nearly brushed them against mine. "But if you would rather I not hold on to that control, I can take you upstairs right now and make you scream until you beg me to stop. It's your choice but do not tease me with empty promises."

I stared up into his eyes while I tried to swallow my heart as it tried to beat out my throat. My body wanted me to accept his offer, to drag him into my own room and let him do anything he wanted. My brain, however, warned me against that idea and in the end I found the control I had been fighting for.

I closed my eyes and turned my head to the side, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry." It came as a whisper, not at all the strong apology I'd meant it to be.

He growled again and backed up. I didn't open my eyes or turn my head and after a minute I heard him leave the room and head back upstairs. I let out the breath I had been holding and slid down the fridge until I was sitting on the floor. My forehead met my knees and I sat there, trying to regain some small portion of my composure. Yeah, definitely not a man I wanted to play with.

**Edward POV**

What the hell was I doing? I had sworn to myself that I would stay away from her and not put myself in a situation that would compromise my control. And what had I done? I had _invited _the situation. Fucking hell.

I closed the door to my room with a gentle hand; it wouldn't do to go slamming doors just because I was frustrated. My tie came off followed by my shirt and shoes before I collapsed onto the bed. I lay on my back, staring up at the ceiling as I tried to figure out what I was going to do.

I heard the back door open downstairs and assumed Bella had gone out to the stables. Good, maybe now I could get control over my stupid self. I couldn't believe I had let things get so out of hand. My intention had been to tease her, make her blush. I hadn't expected her response and in my surprise I had lost my careful control.

With a sigh I sat up and turned on my computer. I needed to get that report off to Carlisle before I forgot and now was the perfect time to do it. Let my body calm down before I tried to think through the implications of what had just happened.

Half an hour later, I had sent off my report and taken a shower. The shower had helped more than anything in calming me down. I pulled on boxers and a clean pair of pants, sitting on the bed and pulling the Internet up. I surfed the web for a while, losing track of the time until a knock on the door distracted me.

I stood, shrugging into a shirt and opened the door to Bella's anxious face. "Um, hey." I felt like a complete ass now, hearing that hesitant tone in her voice. Almost as if she were afraid of me. "Um, Esme called. She's going to be having dinner at Billy's so I was just going to order a pizza. Do you want anything specific on yours?"

I sighed and shook my head. "What are you ordering?"

She shrugged, and looked down at her hands. "Cheese and pepperoni."

I watched her fidget for a few seconds before I made a disgusted sound at myself. "Bella, I'm sorry. About earlier. I was out of line."

The blush that I was expecting crept up her cheeks and she just nodded, glancing up at my through her thick lashes. "It's okay. It's mostly my fault, anyway."

I frowned. "How do you figure that?"

She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself and looking more uncomfortable than before. "I said things I shouldn't have. I guess I led you on."

I huffed out a breath and pressed my forehead to the wood of the doorframe. "Bella, it's as much my fault as yours."

She looked up then, giving me the full force of those chocolate eyes. "So," I watched her pause and change whatever she was about to say. "Cheese and pepperoni okay?"

I nodded and watched as she turned and disappeared down the stairs. I shut the door and banged my head against the wood. "Stupid, Edward," I muttered to myself. "Fucking stupid."

With another sigh I buttoned up my shirt and shut down my computer. I needed to try and make her comfortable around me again, otherwise me staying here would never work. And I would really hate to tell Carlisle the reason why I decided it would be better for me to stay in a hotel for my stay.

I managed to kill time until the pizza was delivered by straightening my things and rearranging and straightening them again. When I heard the knock on the door, I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. It would be beyond rude to bring my dinner up to my room and hide all night.

I took a deep, calming breath as I opened the door and headed downstairs, determined to do whatever it took to fix my mistake.

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**_Review? Pwease?_**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I hit a bad case of writer's block and then the movie came out and I was like, screw this I'm watching the movie. Lol. But I still love you guys! And here's the next chapter for your immediate enjoyment! Also, after this chapter I'll be moving the story forward a little faster, y'know, with some actual plotline and stuff. Lol. **

**Thanks as always to my beta, Jessica. You do me a great service, love. ;)**

**: ): ): )**

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**Bella POV**

_Stupid, stupid, stupid._ I scolded myself, my butt planted firmly on the kitchen floor. _Why didn't you just take him up on his offer?_

_Because I'm not a whore, _I thought back to myself. Myself just sighed in defeat and retreated to the back of my mind where she belonged. Wasn't conversing with yourself the first sign of insanity or something?

I sighed as I heard a door upstairs close and pushed myself to my feet. The horses needed to be fed. I let the back door swing shut behind me as I made my way to the stables. I glanced at the sky as I opened the door into the stables, noting the storm clouds on the horizon. The horses could stay in the stables until morning. Wouldn't want them to get spooked by the storm and try to run off.

While I was feeding the horses my own stomach let out a loud grumble. It didn't look like Esme was going to be back anytime soon and with the storm rolling in, she would probably just stay at Billy's place. He always kept spare rooms ready for if I ever decided I wanted to crash there. Benefits to being close friends with both his sons.

I heard the phone ringing as I was locking the door to the stables and sprinted back inside, picking up the phone just in time for whoever was on the other end to hear me trip over the mat placed on the floor right inside the door and land on my ass. I bit back a few choice words as my tailbone let me know just exactly what it thought of me landing on it.

"Bella?" The phone asked. I put it to my ear as I got back to my feet, straightening the mat. "Hey, Aunt Esme."

I could hear her laughing on the other end but she was nice enough to keep it quiet. "Trip over the mat again?"

"Maybe," I mumbled. "Are you staying at Billy's tonight?"

"I might. I promised him I'd stay for dinner. If the weather holds, I might be able to make it back. But no promises."

I nodded even though she couldn't see it, and started sifting through the cabinets and fridge to try and find something for dinner. "Why don't you and Edward just order out. I left my purse by the door and there should be some cash in there."

"Mm, pizza sounds really good right now. Thanks, Aunt Esme."

"Anytime, dear. You two behave." I could hear the smile in her words and I felt the blush come rushing up my neck. Oh, if she only knew.

We said our goodbyes and I pulled the phone book out of one of the kitchen drawers, flipping through it until I found the section for pizza places. Not many places delivered this far out so my selection was limited. I was about to dial when I realized I didn't know what kind of pizza Edward like. And to find out, I was going to have to go and ask him. Oh, I so did not want to do that right now.

I debated whether or not I should just order my usual and hope he liked it but finally decided I was raised better and should have the decency to find out what my guest wanted for dinner. Damnit.

It took me three tries to make it to his door without turning around. I knocked lightly, fidgeting while I waited. The door swung open and I fought the urge to look down at my feet. _Grow up, Bella, you're not in middle school anymore. _I made the offer of pizza as quickly as I could before escaping downstairs.

I ordered and grabbed my guitar out of the study, moving into the living room and sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace. My intention had been to lose myself in the sound of the strings, maybe play a favorite tune. In reality, I lost myself in my thoughts, my hands resting casually on the instrument.

My thoughts returned to the scene in the kitchen earlier. Could it really be possible that Edward wanted me that badly? I looked down at myself, not seeing what it was that seemed to be so attractive to guys. Jacob had always said my self-esteem was the only thing he didn't like about me. And James… Well, what James thought didn't matter anymore.

I was startled out of my thoughts by a knock on the door. I stood, putting the guitar on the couch and went to pay the delivery guy. I put the two large pizzas on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to get napkins and paper plates. When I came back into the living room, Edward was there leaning against the back of the couch and running his fingers across the wood of my guitar.

I stopped in the doorway between the kitchen and living room, watching as his long fingers caressed my prize possession and imagined them caressing other, more private things. I gasped softly, ducking my head as the blush covered my face and continued into the room. He glanced up as I came into the room and offered a small smile. He was the epitome of calm but that smile showed a hint of nervousness.

"You play?" he asked, gesturing to the guitar.

I nodded and had to clear my throat before I could make any kind of sound come out of my mouth. "Um, yeah. Do you?" Oh, yes, such a captivating conversation.

He smiled again. "A little. The piano is more my thing."

Be still my heart. "We have a piano if you want to play sometime. I mean… not for me… just in general… to relax. Maybe." _Real smooth, Bella._ Sheesh.

He laughed softly and nodded. The tone of his laugh said he wasn't laughing _at _me. That was a relief, at least. I smiled and dropped my head, surprised when the blush didn't make an appearance. "Sorry."

Edward came over and took the plates from my hands. "It's okay. I understand what you meant."

We made our way back to the couch and sat down. Edward put two pieces of pizza on his plate and sat back. The silence between us quickly became awkward and I took a bite of pizza. "Um, so, Edward. I wanted to apologize."

"Again?" He smiled at me, finishing off his second piece. Talk about inhaling your food.

I returned his smile and grabbed a second piece for myself. "This time it's not for a lack of a verbal filter."

He laughed and took two more pieces. "Then what would you like to apologize for?"

I sighed and put my plate on the coffee table. "Um, about earlier."

His sigh echoed mine and his plate joined mine on the coffee table. When he sat back again, he stretched his arm across the back of the couch, his hand brushing my shoulder. "Look, Bella. I was the one who was out of line and it's me who should be apologizing."

"Yeah," I said, picking at a tear in my jeans. "You've said that already."

"Well, it's true." He put his hand under my chin and turned my face back to him before putting his hand back where it had been resting against my shoulder. "I think you're very attractive, Bella, and in all honesty, I would love nothing more than to show you just how attractive I think you are." I blushed and he smiled. "But we just met and I have a feeling that you're not the kind of girl I'm used to dealing with."

I brushed my hair back behind my ear. "You mean the easy 'romp between the sheets' kind of girl?"

He grinned. "Yeah, that's what I mean."

I cleared my throat and looked up at him from under my lashes. "Well, I'm not easy. But how do you know I'm not the romp between the sheets type?"

His features turned serious and he met my gaze, holding it as he started to lean in. He slowly closed the space between us, giving me time to turn away. His hand came up, cupping my cheek as his lips brushed against mine, soft at first then more demanding. His tongue traced my lower lip and I opened to him.

Edward moved his free hand down to my waist and slipped it under my shirt while his tongue explored my mouth. He started to slip my shirt up and I gasped, pulling away from the kiss. I licked my lips, enjoying the residual tingle left over from the most amazing kiss I'd ever experienced.

He removed his hand from under my shirt, trailing his fingers across my skin as he pulled away. The gorgeous crooked smile touched his lips. "That's how." He brushed my hair back over my shoulder. "A romp between the sheets girl wouldn't have pulled away."

I blushed then smiled, shrugging as I reached for my pizza. "Sorry I'm not the type of girl you like."

He laughed and picked up his own plate. "You're not the type of girl I'm used to. But the type of girl I'm used to isn't the type of girl I like."

I made a questioning sound around a mouthful of pizza. Classy, that's me. I tried to swallow too quickly and choked, coughing hard enough to bring tears to my eyes to try and unclog my throat. Edward pounded his hand on my back until my airway cleared. Worry and amusement fought for dominance in bright green eyes and I looked away, honestly getting tired of making a fool of myself in front of him.

"Are you okay, Bella?"

I nodded and put my plate back on the coffee table. Add eating to the list of things I shouldn't do in front of Edward. "Fine. Embarrassed, but fine."

He brushed my hair back from my face. "Don't be embarrassed. I think it's cute how you react when you're around me."

I laughed and turned an incredulous look on him. "Trust me, I'm this big of a klutz normally. You being around doesn't affect me." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I regretted them. The look he gave me told me that not only did he not believe me, but he was intent on proving himself right.

His hand was still in my hair from where he'd brushed it away moments earlier and now his fingers tightened in the strands, moving to the back of my neck. I felt my pulse speed up as he closed the distance between us until he was sitting right next to me, our thighs touching. He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, not giving me time to pull away this time and tightening his hand on the back of my neck when I reflexively leaned back. A second later and I melted into a kiss that was hotter, more passionate and did more to my body than the last kiss.

Edward moved his free hand to my thigh and his lips down to my throat. My head fell back only to be cradled by the hand at the back of my neck while both my hands came up to his shoulders. I tangled my fingers into that bronze hair as he trailed his lips lightly across my racing pulse. He closed his mouth over my pulse, sucking gently as his tongue caressed my flesh.

I moaned softly, tightening my grip in his hair. I was starting to feel lightheaded from the mere touch of his lips against my flesh when he pulled back, just enough to be able to speak. "Breathe, Bella." I could feel him smile against my throat as I took in a deep breath, clearing the lightheadedness immediately.

He pressed another kiss to my pulse before trailing his lips back up, across my jaw and to my lips where he hovered just above them. The hand on my thigh moved up to cup my cheek. A smug, crooked smile curled his lips. "I think I've made my point." His lips brushed across mine as he spoke and my fingers tightened in his hair, trying to close the minute distance between us.

Edward claimed my lips in another brief, fiery kiss before pulling back. I slipped my fingers from his hair and sat back, blowing my air out on a heavy sigh. Fuck yeah he'd made his point. And holy hell that man could kiss!

While I was still absorbed in the sensory memory Edward stood, picking my guitar up from where I'd set it down and handed it to me. I looked up at him questioningly.

"Play for me."

I took the guitar from him slowly. "What do you want to hear?"

He shrugged and sat back down beside me, keeping an extra foot of space between us. I was both glad for the space and disappointed, wanting nothing more in that moment than to kiss him again and knowing that it was probably a bad idea. Sure he was gorgeous and he made my body tighten with just a look but he wasn't staying for very long and I didn't want to become the latest in what he had implied was a long list of conquests.

Mental sigh. _You sure do know how to pick 'em, Bella. _

"Play something you can sing to."

I looked up at him. "You want me to sing, too?"

He nodded, offering a small smile of encouragement. I took a deep breath and wrapped my fingers around the neck of the guitar, suddenly nervous. My fingers formed the first chord of the newest country song I'd learned. I picked up the strumming rhythm and by the time I started singing, my nerves had eased.

I looked at Edward when I hit the end of the first chorus. He had turned so that one knee was pulled up on the couch and he could face me while I sat Indian style facing him. I met his gaze and saw a mix of appreciation and desire in his eyes. My cheeks got a little warm and I closed my eyes.

I lost myself in the song, ignoring for the moment that I had an audience. Jacob had long ago gotten me over the embarrassment of playing in front of people but for some reason - probably the same reason I couldn't control what I said around him - Edward made me nervous. My heart was fluttering in my chest though luckily my voice was steady and confident.

I opened my eyes as I strummed the last chord, shifting my gaze to meet Edwards. He had a small half smile on his face. "You're very good, Bella."

I shrugged and set the guitar aside, brushing my hair back from my face. I hated getting compliments. I never knew how to respond so I usually just spoke a simple thanks and changed the subject. And true to form, "Thank you." I cleared my throat. "Um, I'm finished so I think I'm going to go out to the stables." I grabbed the piece of pizza I wasn't actually finished with and stood, stepping carefully around Edward's legs.

Edward stood as soon as I was past him. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Bella."

I stopped halfway to the kitchen and turned to look at him, swallowing hard as I told him the absolute truth. "The only things making me uncomfortable are my own thoughts,[I changed this because "thoughts" is plural, FYI.] Edward." I turned back and made my escape.

**Edward POV**

I watched as Bella disappeared into the kitchen, hearing the back door open and shut. She didn't even hesitate at the heavy rain that was falling outside. With a sigh I sat back down on the couch, picking up my plate. That had definitely not gone the way I had planned it. I had wanted to make things easier between us, not add to the awkwardness, but I couldn't seem to control myself. I didn't understand what it was about this girl that had my control tied up in knots.

I mulled over the problem while chewing on my pizza, staring blankly at the dark fireplace. I wondered, briefly, if it even got cold enough to use the fireplace here, then decided if someone took the time to put a fireplace in, it probably got some use.

I don't know how long I sat there but I went through three more pieces of pizza and had succeeded in clearing my head of all the little thoughts racing through it. The sound of the back door opening caught my attention and I looked up, expecting to see Bella come through into the living room. I was surprised when her friend Jacob walked in.

"Hey, Bella wanted me to come ask if you wanted to go with us into town." I couldn't tell what Jacob thought of her request but he wasn't glaring daggers at me so I figured it might be safe to tag along.

"Sure. Where are you going?"

Jacob opened his mouth to respond when the sound of the back door opening again turned both our heads in that direction. Bella walked in with Sam trailing behind her. "What's taking so long, Jake?" She asked.

Jacob sighed in exaggerated annoyance. "I just walked in not ten seconds ago. Gimme some time, Bells."

Bella grinned and came to stand beside Jacob. It seemed her earlier discomfort was completely forgotten, a fact for which I was thankful for. I just hoped it wasn't an act to make me feel better.

"Come on, Edward. We're going to a bar down the road." While Jacob had asked if I wanted to go, Bella just told me I was going. Normally, that would have irked me a little bit but, as with most things about Bella, my reaction was the complete opposite. I just laughed and started off toward the stairs. "Do I have a choice in the matter?"

She laughed with me and shook her head. "Nope. Hurry up." I shook my head slowly as I climbed the stairs. I at least needed shoes before I went anywhere. Once back in my room, I changed into the jeans that Esme had washed and put back in my room - much to my surprise and embarrassment; I didn't want her to think she had to do my laundry - and the boots she'd given me. I left on the dress shirt, seeing as how I didn't really have anything else, but I left it un-tucked with the top few buttons open. A little more casual.

I was halfway to the stairs when I heard a high pitched squeal come from the living room. I hurried down the stairs to find that Jacob had Bella pinned on the couch. He was tickling her until she was laughing so hard she was struggling to breathe.

"Take it back, Bella." Jacob said, knocking her hands aside when she tried to retaliate.

"Okay, okay!" She gasped. "I take it back."

Sam was standing by the front door with his arms crossed over his chest. I walked over to join him, looking between him and the two on the couch with amusement. "What's going on?"

Sam chuckled and uncrossed his arms. "Jake wanted to drive. Bella made a comment about how she didn't want to end up in a ditch this time." I looked at him questioningly and he grinned. "Last time we went to Merlotte's Jake thought it would be funny to drive on the wrong side of the road, trying to freak Bella out. Ended up scaring himself when a deer darted out in front of him and when he swerved to avoid it, he ended up rolling his truck onto its side in the ditch."

I smirked but figured getting surprised by a deer on a dark road might cause a little panic. "It's kind of understandable, though. People do rash things when startled."

Sam's grin got wider before he responded. "The ditch was on the other side of the road." I stared at him for a second while that processed. Laughter bubbled up and I didn't even try to stop it. "You mean he cut across two lanes and still rolled his truck?" Sam nodded and joined me in my quiet laughter.

"Hey, in my own defense, Bella's screaming was distracting." Jacob had finally let Bella up and they had come over to join us while Sam and I had been talking.

Bella reached out and smacked Jacob on the chest. He flinched and rubbed the spot when she dropped her hand. "I was not screaming, jackass." He grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders, a silent signal that he would let her win the argument. As soon as she looked away from him, though, he mouthed '_she was screaming' _to me. I hid a smile behind a cough.

"We ready to go, then?" Sam asked. We all nodded and stepped out onto the front porch. Sam's truck was parked close to the steps and the rain had lightened up enough that we wouldn't get soaked going from the porch to the truck. Bella called shotgun as she locked up so, with Sam driving, that left myself and Jacob in the back.

We piled into the truck, which had been washed at some point since our adventure in the mud pit, and started the trip down Bella's driveway. Sam turned the radio on and started up a conversation with Bella. The radio was loud enough that I could barely hear what was being said in the front seat so I turned to Jacob.

"I got the feeling you didn't like me very much." Yeah, that came out of nowhere but I wasn't usually one to let things sit when I could just as easily confront them.

Jacob shrugged and pulled on his seat belt. "Bella likes you. It's my job to dislike the guys she likes." He smiled slightly but I had a strong suspicion that that wasn't his only reason.

"She likes me, huh?" I looked toward the front of the truck where the brunette in question was carrying on an animated conversation with Sam. Jacob and I were both keeping our voices down and between their own conversation and the music, I was confident they couldn't hear us. "I just got here; how could she like me already?"

Jacob shifted in his seat, not like he was uncomfortable, just that he was trying to find a more comfortable position. "Every friend Bella has, she liked immediately. She's always had good judgment when it came to people; always had some instinct when it came to people she could trust and people she couldn't." Jacob's eyes were focused on the back of Bella's head and I could almost hear the unspoken sentence. Somewhere in her past, Bella's judgment hadn't been so accurate.

"Who did she trust that she shouldn't have?" I asked. He looked at me in surprise and I arched a single brow at him. "Half of my living is made off of reading people, of knowing who _I _can trust. The way you said that said loud and clear that it hasn't always been the case." I waved my hand, to show how my explanation had come full circle back to my question. "So I ask again, who did she trust that she shouldn't have?"

He sighed and settled back into his seat. "His name was James. And it's a long story." I could see easily enough that that was all I was going to get right now but it was equally as clear that he wasn't finished. We'd be continuing this later.

The remainder of the ride, a whole seven minutes, was spent in relative silence, at least in the back seat. We pulled into the gravel parking lot in front of a wooden building, a sign over the door proclaiming "Merlotte's Bar and Grill" in neon red letters. There were two other cars in the lot and one parked beside the building in a separate parking lot. Employee parking maybe?

The bar itself looked a lot bigger once we got inside. It was a little more brightly lit then most bars but not too bright considering it was also a restaurant, as Bella kindly explained to me. As if the 'grill' part of 'bar and grill' hadn't given it away. Country music was playing in the background, just loud enough to be able to make out the words but not enough to disrupt conversation.

I found the owners of the other two cars out front pretty quickly; both were sitting at the bar with their backs to the door, carrying on a conversation with the man behind the bar. He looked up when we all walked in and held up a hand in greeting. Sam led the way to a table near the center of the room while Bella made beeline for the bar, greeting the bartender like they were old friends. Hell, they probably were.

"You guys come here a lot?" I asked, gesturing over to where Bella was chatting it up with the bartender.

Jacob followed my gesture before nodding, taking a seat next to his brother and grabbing a handful of peanuts of a out metal bucket in the middle of the table. I took the seat on the other side of Sam. "Yeah, Sam let's me and Bella drink here, even though we're underage." I frowned and looked over to Sam and he shook his head. "Not me, the owner." A jerk of his chin over to the bartender. "Sam Merlotte." I nodded my head in understanding and Sam smirked, turning back to Jacob. "And he only lets these idiots drink because he knows I won't let them do anything stupid."

Jacob flipped his brother a one-fingered salute as Bella returned to the table with three bottles and a tumbler of amber liquid. She put a bottle in front of us and took the seat between Jacob and myself. I took a swig from the beer before using the bottle to tap her glass. "Don't want to drink beer with the rest of us?"

She smirked at me, putting the glass under her nose and inhaling like she was smelling a good wine. "Mm, whiskey's better."

Jacob leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. "What she means is that she doesn't like beer. Not enough burn, she says." Jacob grinned at her, taking a drink from his own beer as she glared at him and tossed one of his own peanuts at his head. "'She' is sitting right here," she growled. Jacob shrugged lifted his bottle into the air. "To our little whiskey girl." Sam laughed and tapped his bottle against Jacob's. I followed suit and, after a seconds' hesitation where she pretended to be mad, Bella joined in the toast.

Bella threw back half of the liquor and closed her eyes as she swallowed. My eyes followed the line of her throat as she swallowed and I got a sudden image in my head of her swallowing something else. My hand tightened on my beer bottle and I took a quick drink to try and drive the image from my mind. What the hell was my problem today?

When I looked back at Bella she had curious look in her eyes, a mix of questioning and amusement, as though she had an idea of what I was thinking and thought it was the funniest thing in the world. I gave her my famous crooked smile and her expression clouded over with her own thoughts. The blush that tinted her cheeks seconds later let me know exactly what those thoughts involved and I smirked, satisfied.

Jacob had watched this entire exchange and now he cleared his throat. "So, Edward. How long are you going to be in town?"

I sat back in my chair, hooking my elbow over the back of it. "I'm not entirely sure, but right now the closest estimation I have is about a month. My business in Atlanta just took a nice turn so it might be longer then that." I shrugged as best I could in my current position. When it came to overseeing the use of funding, it was never a sure thing how long one would be in the area. It all really depended on how hands on the overseer was.

Before anything else could be said, Bella straightened in her chair, eyes bright in excitement. "Sam! Turn it up!" A glance over to the bartender showed him turning to a stereo and turning the volume knob. Jacob laughed when he heard the opening of the song and started beating on the tabletop with the rhythm. Sam joined him and they both started singing.

_You need hands - rough not soft - to come and warm you up, _

_up in that cold hayloft_

_Let me hold you little darlin' in my big strong arms_

_Can't get these kind of muscles anywhere but a farm_

Jacob made an exaggerated show of his 'muscles' that made Bella laugh. Even I found it kind of funny, though I was enjoying how into the song all three of them were getting.

_Hey, I'm a country man_

_A city boy can't do the things I can _- Sam punched my arm at this line and I had to laugh.

_I can grow my own groceries and salt cure a ham_

_Hey baby I'm a country man_

Sam stood up and took the next verse on his own, giving us a cheers with his beer as he sang.

_I've got a Jeep with camouflage seats_

_That way nobody sees us parked back up in these trees_

_Your little iPod's loaded down with Hoobastank - _Bella made a face at this and threw a peanut at Sam.

_Don't be a tape player hater, girl we're groovin' to Hank_

Bella lifted her drink to clink against Sam's bottle and she and Jacob joined Sam on the chorus. All three of them sang through the next verse and Bella grabbed a handful of peanuts.

_You like the Ivy League, Hum-V, tennis sweater type_

_But girl I'm here to tell you don't believe the hype _

I got pelted with peanuts from all three of them and had to bring my arms up to protect my face from the salted shells, laughing the whole time. Talk about ganging up on someone.

They finished off the song and sat back down, laughing and tossing a few more peanuts. I watched them and felt a pang of jealousy at their easy friendship. I wished more than anything that I could have this. Back home, I had to be wary of all those wanting to be friends with me; most were just after my status or worse, my fathers'. My brother, Jasper, had the same problem, although his new fiancée had kept most of the social climbers away from him. Again, envious.

"Hey, Bells, you should do some karaoke." Jacob's words started an immediate shaking of her head. "No way, Jake. Singing in front of you is not the same as singing in front of a crowd."

I looked around at the empty bar. "There's no audience here." I wanted to hear her sing again and was more than willing to help Jacob get her to do it. "Just people you've sung in front of already."

Bella sighed as her flimsy argument was shredded and stood, going over to the bar to speak with Sam. I noticed one of the two customers who had been here when we arrived had left. Must have been when I was distracted, maybe by the flying peanuts.

After a minute or two Bella turned toward the other end of the bar where there was a raised stage area that I hadn't noticed until just then. _Way to be observant, Edward._ I shook my head at my own thoughts and watched Bella step up onto the stage. There were three guitars on stands along the back wall with a microphone beside them. She grabbed the microphone out of its stand and looked to Sam who turned back to his stereo and set up a song.

An easy guitar intro floated through the speakers and then Bella began to sing. There were no words to the music, just as karaoke should be, but Bella put the lyrics in perfectly.

_Look at me, can't believe I finally made it here_

_Feeling like I'm where I belong, singing my hallelujah song_

_Hard to find, took some time but I think that I might be hittin'_

_On what's been missing all along_

_Singing my hallelujah song_

She'd been tense up until that point but when the music picked up, she relaxed and opened her eyes. She ran a hand through her hair, holding it back from her face as she sang.

_It's a highway sliding through a Sunday afternoon_

_It's a snapshot smiling like we ain't got nothing to loose _

_It's the peace in knowing that love is gonna be gone someday_

_But you only get more when you give it away_

The second chorus came on and she was bouncing on her toes, getting into the song and releasing whatever was left of her nervousness. Her voice was literally music to my ears and I found myself wanting to hear more of her.

_It's a sweet prayer knowin' someone's up there hearin' it_

_Divine punch lines take a little time but I'm getting it_

_Life is more than just how many breaths you take_

_But the moments that take your breath away_

_Baby, take my breath away _

She raised her voice with the notes and the feeling she was putting into the song. This verse meant something to her, that much was obvious. And I could've sworn she looked right at me as she belted out the last line. The chorus came again and the moment was broken though she was still singing with just as much feeling as before.

_Hard to find, took some time but I never was by myself_

_There were angels helpin' all along, singing my hallelujah song_

As the song finished and she put the microphone back, Jacob and Sam gave her a standing ovation. I stood beside them and gave her the same cheers they were giving her. She had an amazing voice and it was even better when she put feeling into it.

She came back over to us and sat down in her chair, trying to hide a grin with a blush across her cheeks. I was beginning to notice that for her to get comfortable in front of people, she had to pretty much ignore the fact that they were even there. Admittedly this was only the second time I'd seen her use that tactic and twice does not a pattern make, but still. It was a logical assumption.

"That was awesome, Bells. I don't know why you're so shy about performing." Jacob said, sitting back down as well. Bella gave him an eloquent look but didn't say anything, just tossed back the rest of her whiskey.

"It doesn't take much to get you out of your shell, at least." I commented, finishing off my own beer. Sam came over to our table and put fresh beers on the table and a new tumbler in front of Bella. She smiled her thanks at the bartender slash owner and looked at me. "Be thankful you didn't meet me three years ago."

Jacob snorted and his brother choked on his beer. "Yeah, she wouldn't have even been able to say 'hello' to you without stumbling over every letter in the word and failing a few times."

"Oh I don't know. She seems to stumble over her words often enough around me." I smirked at her and the blush that had disappeared returned.

"That's because she wants to get in your pants but doesn't want you to know it." Sam said, earning a startled squeak from Bella whose eyes got so wide I thought they might pop out of her head. The blush darkened and she made a point of not looking at me to glare at her friend. Sam just shrugged as if to say, _It's true, get over it._

I already knew this, of course, but having it put out on the table, so to speak, by one of her friends was amusing. Of course, I wanted to get in her pants just as badly as she apparently wanted to get in mine and only our mutual reluctance to cross a few lines kept us safely in the 'pants on' zone. On the off chance that something might escalate between us, I figured it might be in my best interest to save her from her tormentor.

"In that case, the attraction's mutual. But Bella and I both know she'd never let me get that far." I gave her a pointed look, handing her the ball to make a smart remark if she wanted. She turned her gaze to me, her eyes full of grateful relief, as she picked up on what I was doing.

"Yeah, well, you couldn't handle me even if I did." She smirked to cover the look in her eyes. "You city boys have so much to learn."

I grinned behind my beer as I took a drink and decided, even if I had invited the remark, that she had just issued a challenge. I held her gaze and let her see my decision. She lifted a brow before looking over to Sam. "Hey, guy. I'm tired."

Sam laughed and finished off his beer. "Don't look at me, my bed's full." She gave him the look that comment deserved and tossed her last peanut at him, throwing back her whiskey and looking pointedly at Jacob.

Jacob sighed and finished his beer before pushing to his feet. "Come on, Sam. We'd better get the princess home before she throws a fit." Bella looked playfully indignant and I got the impression that she was already plotting some kind of revenge against her friends.

By the time we had made it outside, I had finished my beer and found a trash can to toss the empty bottle in. I climbed back into the back of Sam's truck and found that Bella was halfway across the seat with her hand gripping Jacob's balls tight enough that he was stiff as a board and looked like he was having trouble breathing.

I got myself buckled in as Bella spoke, her voice as sweet and innocent as she could make it. "So I have an idea, Jake. It involves you remembering who's the boss in this relationship." This obviously wasn't the start of their conversation but I must've missed the first part while I was finishing my beer.

Jacob nodded a few times more than was necessary and Bella released her grip, smiling pleasantly at Jacob and then at me before sliding back into her seat up front. Jacob let the air out of his lungs and relaxed into his seat; I almost thought he'd slip down onto the floorboards.

"Shit but you're a bitch sometimes, Bella." Jacob's words were breathy, as though he were still in pain.

Bella looked over her shoulder at him, a cheerful expression on her face. "You still love me."

Jacob laughed, though it was a little strained. She must have squeezed harder than I thought. Memo to self: protect the boys before attempting to piss Bella off. "You're still a bitch."

She grinned and turned back around to face the front. The four of us carried on an easy conversation until we got back to Bella's house, at which point Bella and I got out of the truck. Sam waited until Bella had unlocked the door and we were both inside before driving off.

As soon as the door was shut behind me I grabbed Bella's arm, spinning her around and bringing her flush against the front of my body. My body definitely liked her being there and I had to force back the urge to press her against the wall and take her, whether she liked it or not. I put one hand on the small of her back to keep her against me, my other hand moving to grip the back of her neck.

"Edward?" She looked up at me, eyes a little wide, breath coming a little faster. And I hadn't even done anything yet. "What are you doing?"

"Answering a challenge," I murmured, brushing my lips across hers in the barest of caresses. Her eyes dropped closed and I smirked. "I'll show you exactly how much city boys have to learn." And then I pressed my lips to hers and claimed her mouth with a few strokes of my tongue.

Without any kind of warning, I pulled back and released her, walking past her toward the stairs. Let her mull that over tonight and see where it gets her. I was halfway up the stairs when I heard her speak, low enough that I knew she was talking to herself and I couldn't help but smile at her words.

"Baby, take my breath away."

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**Reviews are loved and adored.  
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	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I apologize for making you guys wait for this! I hope you aren't disappointed. We get a look at Bella's past and the relationship she had with James that I'm sure you guys were all curious about. **

**Thanks as always goes out to my beta, Jessica. She's awesome and makes me laugh with her comments. :)**

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**Bella POV**

I stood rooted to the spot in the living room where Edward had left me, my fingers resting on my still tingling lips. When he'd said he was answering a challenge, he hadn't been kidding. Although if the losing meant I got kissed like that more often I was more than willing to raise the white flag and throw myself at his feet.

No, wait. That's not me talking, that the hormones. I shook my head to clear it and glanced back over my shoulder to make sure Edward had disappeared up the stairs before following and heading to my own room. I didn't even realize how distracted I was until I tried to walk through the wall beside my door instead of the door itself. Normally I would chalk that up to my usual clumsiness but even I couldn't go that far into denial.

I showered and crawled into bed, trying desperately to get my thoughts - and my hormones - under control before I went to sleep. I knew better than to let myself get so distracted by a guy; after all, the last time had ended on such a wonderful note. I shuddered at even the briefest thought of James and settled back against my pillows with one arm curled under my head, the other resting across my stomach.

James had seemed so amazing when I'd first met him at the end of my sophomore year in high school. Of course, I'd been young and stupid then and just the thought that a college boy wanted anything to do with me made me giddy and blind to common sense. Especially since the only guy who'd ever shown any interest in me just happened to be my best friend.

Jake and I tried the dating thing but eventually left the whole idea for dead when it we discovered it was far too awkward. But it brought us closer in a way I don't think we would have gotten if we had never tried. Of course, if we hadn't, I might not have been so keen to hook up with James. I seem to remember feeling the need to prove to myself that someone I _hadn't _known most of my life could be interested.

The first weeks were probably some of the best of my life; James had been so attentive, so romantic and best of all, a complete gentleman. He didn't even initiate our first kiss until we'd been together for almost a month. I'd thought he was perfect and, as every sixteen year old girl does at some point, I imagined us married with kids living happily ever after.

Of course, that was all before I got to know the real James, the one behind the gentlemanly façade. And I finally figured out why his friends would have barely suppressed laughing fits when he would act all sweet and understanding. Two weeks after our first kiss, James managed to convince me - through vows of love and promises of forever - that we were ready to progress our relationship into the physical. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that I would have done anything he asked, I did want to make him happy and I let him make up my mind for me.

After he took my virginity, he changed. Very subtle differences but differences that, looking back now, were plain as day to anyone who wasn't me. I glued myself to his side, neglecting my friends at his gentle insistence that he couldn't bear to be away from me for a single moment. I still couldn't believe I fell for that line.

He started taking me to parties around various campuses. James had friends at Athens, Auburn, Savannah and of course his own campus, Georgia State. I didn't find out until later - much, much later - that these parties were more like business transactions. He was the go-between for the universities for drugs, stolen everything and even one or two illegal alcoholic beverages.

At first I enjoyed the parties. James was always careful to keep me away from his business deals and for a short while I never even suspected. It was the fifth party he took me to that I had my first drink and that same night I ended up on the beer pong table dancing shirtless between two guys who were a lot less drunk than I was. When James finished his deals and found me, I thought he was going to be pissed, but he just pulled me off the table, said something about how sexy I was, then took me home and showed me a few new positions we hadn't tried yet.

After that it was parties every weekend and sometimes during the week. If I came home at all, I was usually hammered. Esme would always be waiting for me to walk in the door with a look of saddened disapproval that tore at my heart every time I saw it. She never said anything, never tried to ground me for it, just told me to be careful and made sure I knew I could call her if I ever needed anything.

After everything was over and done with, some people criticized her for her lack of reprimand but I knew that if she had tried to punish me or lecture me, I would've rebelled and probably moved out. Looking back, I knew she was just trying to make sure I stayed under her roof where she could keep an eye on me. And I also knew that if I had moved out then, I probably would've ended up a lot worse off then I was. It was bad enough when I actually did move out.

At the four month mark for our relationship, James mentioned that he wanted to share something with me. I was thrilled, wanting him to know he could trust me with anything. The night of our four month anniversary, I tried Ecstasy for the first time. The sex that night was amazing but other than remembering how even the smallest touch felt like electricity shooting through me, I can't recall much of that night. I just remember I woke the next morning with the first of what would become a steady stream of bruises.

From ecstasy I moved on to cocaine, heroin, PCP, LSD; you name and I probably tried it. James started using me a guinea pig to make sure the stuff he was buying and selling wasn't laced with anything. It didn't take long, between the drugs and the alcohol, for me to become completely dependent on him.

When we'd been together for almost a year I moved out, having gotten into a fight with Esme when she begged me to stop seeing James. He'd always been a perfect gentleman around her but she was far from stupid and had connected the dots between when I started my downhill slide and when I started dating him. When I finally came to my senses, I told her she should've just called the cops and had me picked up as a runaway. But she was far too nice and cared too much for how that would affect my future. She told me later that she trusted I would find my way home. I didn't have the heart to tell her I didn't agree.

I moved in with James and cemented his control over me. He had long since turned abusive, starting with slaps during sex and escalating to shoving me or hitting me - always careful to leave the bruises where no one else could see - whenever I disagreed with him or didn't do what he wanted.

He started distancing himself from me, though in my current state I never even noticed. He started pawning me off on his friends for days on end and, while he encouraged them to make me do whatever they wanted, he made it clear that 'whatever they wanted' did not include sex. He may not have cared about me but I was his possession and no one fucked - literally - with his possessions but him. So, I was put to work cleaning, doing laundry, whatever his friends could think up. And my reward was a hit of whatever drug James was letting me use for the week.

Then one day - after James actually let me sleep in his apartment for the night - I woke up and he was gone. His clothes, necessities and even his secret drug stash was gone. I sat in the bed that still smelled like sex for what seemed like hours before I started craving a hit. I couldn't even remember what the drug of the week had been but I craved it bad. A few hours of searching the house turned up nothing and I was jumping between being about to cry and being furious.

The next thing I remember, I was walking down the sidewalk towards one of the many houses we'd gone to for a party, the freezing rain soaking through my thin shirt and jeans and into my bones. I was shivering from both the cold and the beginnings of withdrawal by the time I knocked on the door. I must've knocked for a while because I remember my knuckles being scraped all to hell from the wood of the door, but no one ever answered.

I wandered around for a while, trying to remember where else we'd gone, but I couldn't for the life me recall anything but the need to get something in my system to calm the shakes. I finally collapsed a few hours later from the cold and exhaustion, among other things. That was how Jake found me; I'd manage to end up three blocks away from his aunt's house and he was driving by on his way home when he spotted me. It had long since stopped raining but it was still under fifty degrees outside and I was still wearing wet clothes.

The next few days were a big blur in my memory, with a few brief moments of lucidity where I remember seeing Jake's face, holding his hand, feeling his lips against my fingers. I remember seeing Esme a few times but those memories were blurred in with the rest. When I finally woke up I was in the hospital and had been for about two weeks.

My time in the hospital was enough to clear out my drug dependency, though Esme and Jake both kept a close eye on me for a long time. Even now, I still felt an itching for something not quite legal, not quite safe. But I swore to myself, after I watched the pain I put my family through, that I would never touch the stuff again. I was reluctant to even take aspirin and forget prescriptions. I actually had a note in my medical file that said I couldn't take anything stronger than Motrin. Oxycontin, Vicodin and Percocet had been a few of the many drugs I'd abused.

I took a shuddering breath and drew myself out of the memories, reaching up to brush away the tears that had gathered at the corners of my eyes. It was still hard to remember, hard to accept that I had hurt my friends and Esme the way that I had. And it was even harder to admit that James had never loved me like I'd thought. I saw it as a betrayal that I let happen and it made me angry and sad all at the same time whenever I thought about it.

It was because of James that I was reluctant to trust Edward, although my body seemed to be throwing caution to the wind every time he was around. I hated comparing Edward to James, but I wasn't so blind anymore that I couldn't see the similarities. Of course, what had been a façade with James seemed sincere with Edward. Then again, I wasn't exactly the best judge of character anymore, though I used to be pretty good at it. It said worlds, though, that both Jake and Sam seemed to like him. They hated James from the first time they met him. I've learned to trust my friends' judgment.

I rolled over onto my side and curled my legs up as the tears started to flow freely down my face. This was the reason I hated thinking about James, the things he did to me, and the things I did for him. I refused to lay all the blame on his shoulders, though, and I think that was part of the reason why it hurt so much. I'd always been prideful and knowing that it was my own stupidity that caused most of my problems just hurt like hell.

I pulled the covers up around my shoulders and tried to think of something else. The last thing I wanted was to dream about James and that was exactly what would happen if I didn't get something else on my mind. My thoughts flashed to the man down the hall from me and that kiss that had left me breathless an hour earlier. Remembering what had brought on the kiss, and the entire evening in general, had me smiling through my fading tears.

I fell asleep to _Country Man _playing in my head and the image of Edward being pelted with peanuts for being a 'city boy'.

**

_I gasped as lips caressed down my throat, hesitating over my pulse to taste the sensitive flesh there. A warm hand slid up my shirt, pulling the fabric up my body. I arched my body up into his, feeling him flush against me, drawing a moan from my throat. I heard a sultry chuckle as he forced me back down to lay flat, much to my disappointment._

"_Shh, patience." The husky whisper clenched things low in my body and I whimpered. Patience was never my strong point._

_He pulled back just enough to remove my shirt and toss it to the floor. His attention turned to the tops of my breasts visible above my bra, trailing open mouthed kisses across them. I moaned as he pulled the cups down and took one nipple in his mouth, sucking gently while his other hand pinched and massaged my other breast. _

"_Please, Edward." I breathed, lifting my hips against his, wanting more of him._

_The hand that was massaging my breast moved up to my throat and applied pressure, constricting my airway and opening my eyes wide. I moved my hands to his, trying to remove his hand from my throat. He lifted his head but it wasn't Edward looking down at me._

"_Do you really think anyone else is going to want you, Bella?" James asked, that cocky smirk on his face, the one that said he knew what was his and would use it as he saw fit. _

_His fingers tightened around my throat and I closed my eyes, trying to deny what they were seeing as tears started falling down into my hair. "Please, no," I choked out, scratching at his hand, trying desperately to make him let me go._

_He laughed in my ear and loosened his hand enough so I could breathe. I took a gasping breath that turned into a whimper as his free hand undid my jeans and yanked them down my hips. I started thrashing around, trying to dislodge him but he had the advantage of strength and position. He starting tugging on my panties and I screamed._

**

I sat up in bed as the scream left my throat, my body covered in sweat and my breath coming so fast I was already starting to see black spots in my vision. My hands flew up to my throat as I checked for the tender spots that hadn't been there in almost two years. I screamed again as my door burst open and Edward came in, his eyes darting around the room before he came over to sit on the edge of the bed beside me.

"Bella?" He brought his hands up to my shoulders when I didn't respond, giving him a blank look as my brain tried not to put James' face on him. I flinched back from his touch but he persisted and, once he had a grip, he shook me gently enough to get my attention. "Bella, what's wrong?"

I responded to his strong voice, to the command there, before my brain had processed the fact that I was actually speaking. "I had a nightmare. James… he was… he…" My breath hitched and the floodgates opened up. I had enough sense of pride left to turn away from him when the tears started coming. I sobbed into my hands, my body shaking from a mix of the strength of my sobs and the illogical fear that James had actually been about to…

I felt gentle hands on my back and then on my arms, turning me around and pulling me against a hard chest. Edward wrapped his arms around me, fingers stroking my messy hair back. He murmured soothing words in my ear and his voice was so different from the one in my nightmare that I began to calm, my body crying itself out fairly quickly. I had given James enough tears that I just didn't have that many more for him.

When I finally quieted, Edward pulled back enough to look at me, running his thumbs over my cheeks to wipe away the remaining tears. He dipped his head down so he could catch my gaze, his hands on either side of my face keeping me from turning away. My heart beat faster at his restraining touch but his hands were gentle whereas James' had always been hurtful, forceful. The realization of the difference calmed my pulse, but only just.

Edward must have noticed my wide eyes or just decided I wasn't going to look away because he dropped his hands to my shoulders. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I took a deep breath, ignoring how bad it shook going down, and shook my head. "James is my ex." Wait, didn't I just indicate that I _didn't _want to talk about it? That's what the head shake meant, right? Apparently, my mouth had other ideas. I spilled everything, even telling him about before James, with me and Jake. It seemed like once I started talking, I couldn't stop.

By the time I got to my dream, he was sitting cross-legged across from me on the bed, our knees almost touching, though mine were still under the covers. I almost told him that I had thought it was him kissing on me in the dream but I stopped myself, not particularly wanting to embarrass myself quite that much. I was trembling again when I finished talking and Edward pulled me into another embrace. I buried my face against his neck, inhaling his scent and committing it to memory. His scent would forever be associated with sanctuary in my head, simply because he'd sat and listened and hadn't judged.

It was then, while I was enjoying the warmth from his body and the safety in his arms, that I realized he was shirtless and I was wearing an old white tank top with no bra. I pulled back, a blush coloring my cheeks, and crossed my arms over my chest, hopefully hiding the fact that I was bra-less. Edward started to say something then just chuckled, drawing my attention back to him.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, Bella." He reached out and brushed my hair back behind my ear. "I didn't think to grab a shirt."

I frowned at him. "How did you know that's why I was blushing?"

He shrugged and ran his hand through his already sleep tousled hair. "First time you saw me shirtless you blushed. And seeing as how neither of us did anything particularly embarrassing when you pulled away, I guessed." I didn't bother to elaborate that the fact that I was wearing a practically see-through shirt attributed to my embarrassment. He was observant enough to have guessed as much already.

"I'm sorry." I sighed and slid out of the bed, padding barefoot into the bathroom and biting back a gasp at my appearance. My eyes were only slightly puffy from all the crying but my cheeks were still flushed and my hair was kind of wild. The sleep tousled look may have dripped sex appeal on Edward but on me it just screamed 'BRUSH ME!'

I ran a brush through my hair and brushed my teeth, picking up my discarded bra from the night before and putting it on before I went back into my room. Edward was still sitting on the bed but he'd moved until his back was against the headboard and his legs were stretched out in front of him. And he was now wearing a shirt. I must've taken longer in the bathroom than I'd thought.

Edward patted the spot beside him, the spot I'd been in earlier, and I crawled hesitantly back into the bed. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against him with a gentle pressure. I ended up with my head on his chest and my body turned to the side until I was comfortable, though I was still tense. His fingers in my hair did wonders to soothe me but the dream and the memories were still too raw to completely relax.

"You're not going to be able to go back to sleep tonight, are you?" he asked, his soft voice caressing my ears and making me sigh even as I shook my head.

"No. You should probably go back to bed, though. I don't want to keep you up when you've got to work tomorrow."

I felt him shrug, the movement restricted by my weight on his chest. "Anything I need to do tomorrow can be done another day. I'm too comfortable to move right now."

I smiled before I turned my head enough to look up at him. "Well, fine, but I can't promise to be entertaining company."

He gave me that crooked smile of his and let his head fall back against the headboard. "How about we let me be the judge of that, hmm?"

I laughed softly and conceded. It was awkward at first, talking to him about everyday things with my dream still fresh on my mind. Every time he would laugh at something I said, I would remember how my body felt when my dream Edward chuckled at me and when he would brush my hair back, or caress my cheek, I would remember the touch that lit my body on fire.

We talked until the sun came up when we finally got up and went downstairs. I made us biscuits and gravy and added eggs and hash browns when both of our stomachs grumbled at about the same time, causing us both to laugh. We ate in a comfortable silence, both of us too busy stuffing food into our mouths to worry about conversation.

Edward went upstairs after breakfast after I insisted I was perfectly capable, and more than willing, of cleaning the few dishes that had been used, by myself. Once the dishes were clean and drying beside the sink, I headed upstairs myself and took another shower, wanting to wash away the last of the dream.

I dressed in jeans that were so faded from the wash that they were almost white and had enough holes in them that Esme kept trying to convince me to make them into cut-off shorts. I had withstood her nagging so far, my love for the old pair of jeans far outweighing the desire to please Esme, especially since she was mostly joking about it.

A faded black Chevrolet t-shirt that hugged my upper body and my scuffed up hiking boots later, and I was finally completely comfortable. Whenever I felt insecure, I just dressed in my most comfortable clothes and let my deep South roots take hold. A quick brush through my hair left it falling in barely there waves down my back and I was finished.

I was halfway down the stairs when the sweet melody of Bach met my ears. I couldn't have placed the piece if my life depended on it but I recognized the composer. Ten years in chorus, with the music room right next door to the band room, made sure I could at least recognize that much.

I eased into the study, not wanting to distract Edward as he was playing, and stopped dead in my tracks. He was bent over the keys, a look of concentration on his face as his fingers glided over the ivory. I stood there and listened to him play until he looked up at me and smiled, a brief twitch of lips that broke the concentrated look and made it obvious how much he was enjoying himself.

The song came to a graceful end as I picked up my guitar from its stand beside the piano and went to sit in the chair closest to him. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing with each other, finding songs we both knew and liked and finding interesting ways to compliment our instruments with each others'.

Esme came home in time to start making dinner, despite my protests that I would gladly cook, and we all sat down to dinner at six-thirty. Edward received a phone call halfway through dinner and excused himself to take it. I didn't see him for the rest of the night and assumed his work had called him away for the evening.

**

The next two weeks practically flew by for me, the days meshing together like a movie on fast-forward. After I spilled my guts about James, my relationship - what there was of it - with Edward took off. We spent most of our waking hours together, whenever he wasn't working and I wasn't off doing whatever. Whatever happened between Edward and myself, I would not let it get in the way of my friends or my life, not like I did with James.

Edward stayed fairly busy during the week so while he was doing his thing in Atlanta, Jake and I would work on our music, or we'd meet up with the crew and go out to lunch. There were still a few of our friends in school, they'd be graduating this year, so occasionally we'd meet up with them at the school for lunch and just chill out for half an hour.

The end of the week, the work week anyway, found me fighting through Atlanta rush hour traffic in my old truck, my patience wearing thin and my temper trying to convince me that the little import in front of me would be nothing more than a speed bump and wouldn't even damage my bumper. Edward had called and said someone backed into his rental and he wouldn't be able to get another one until morning but until then, he needed a ride home.

I pulled into the parking lot of Alexi Laboratories nearly two and a half hours after Edward had called, the traffic having been especially bad with it being Friday and the start of the weekend. This was the whole reason why I tried to avoid venturing into Atlanta on Fridays, at least during rush hour. It was enough to give even a saint second thoughts about murder.

I didn't see Edward in the parking lot, it was hot after all, so I parked and got out of the truck, heading into the air conditioned lobby of the building. I glanced around as I walked toward the receptionist's desk, the young woman behind the desk giving me a full, disapproving once over. Looking down I could see why; I'd been out with the horses for most of the day and my dark jeans were covered in dirt and there was a fresh hole in the knee. I'd managed to change my shirt, so at least that was presentable, although a tight t-shirt with low-slung, baggy jeans and a 'G.R.I.T.S.' belt buckle probably wouldn't be presentable here even on a casual day.

I finally reached the desk and leaned my elbows on the polished wood surface. "I'm looking for Edward Cullen." I cursed the accent that bled through my words. Of course it would pick now to make an appearance. "Is he still here?"

The look she was giving me changed from outright disapproval to mild curiosity. "Can I get your name?" At least her words weren't as bitchy as her expression had been. Of course, being a classy receptionist she probably practiced polite. I should probably tell her she failed.

"Bella Swan."

She picked up the phone at her elbow and spoke to someone on the other end, passing my name over and waiting for a response. When she hung up she looked up at me with a polite smile on her face, mask back in place. "He'll be right out. You can have a seat over there while you wait." She indicated a section of seats at the far end of the lobby.

I moved back a few steps until I reached the wall and leaned back against it, crossing my arms over my stomach and propping one dirty boot on the pristine white wall. I couldn't help the spiteful action, most of my restraint already being used in keeping my mouth shut. But I couldn't stop the flutter of glee caused by the almost panicked look she gave my foot. Bitch should get with the program; she was in the south, not some high rise business in New York or something. Wiping dirt off a wall wasn't _that _far beneath her.

We shared a look that told her, plain as day, that I'd done it deliberately before Edward emerged from the elevator behind and to the side of the desk. He had his suit jacket folded over his arm and a briefcase in his other hand. When he saw me he smiled, transferring the briefcase to the hand under the jacket. I pushed away from the wall with a small smile of my own and met him halfway across the lobby. He slung his arm around my shoulders as I slid my hands in my pockets to prevent from doing something embarrassing in front of the receptionist.

Once we were outside I looked up at him with a smirk on my lips. "Isn't it bad form for such a high class businessman to be so closely associated with an uneducated country girl?"

Edward looked down at me as we reached the truck and used his arm around my shoulders to turn me around to face him. He backed me up against the passenger side of the truck, his hand braced beside my head. "I have enough money to throw around that I can associate with whomever I want." His words sounded serious but the smile tugging at his lips gave lie to his tone.

I played like I was offended. "Oh, I see. Nothing about how you don't care what they think. Just 'I have enough money'." I shook my head in mock annoyance. "City boys."

He grinned and leaned in, brushing his lips across mine before pulling away, his eyes closed as though he were savoring that brief kiss. "Mm, that's worth a few unsightly comments."

I arched a brow up at him and wrapped one hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to me. With mere millimeters between our lips, I dropped my voice to a husky whisper and said, "What about this one?" Then I pressed my lips to his and kissed him as if the world were ending. He moaned and pressed his body flush against mine, pinning me to my truck, his hand moving from beside my head to tangle in my hair. I sighed when his tongue parted my lips and I felt the kiss all the way down to my curling toes, my body melting against his.

He was the one who pulled back, reluctantly breaking the kiss, his thumb caressing my cheek as he looked down into my eyes. "That's worth a lot more." I was pleased to hear that his voice was deeper and he was breathless. Glad to know I wasn't the only one affected by that kiss.

I smiled up at him and eased out from between him and the truck and went around to the driver's side while he stood there regaining his composure. Once inside the truck he tried to discreetly adjust himself, sighing softly in relief when he was comfortable. I hid an oddly satisfied grin as I turned the engine over, the roar echoing through the mostly empty parking lot.

The ride out of the city was quiet between us, Edward's arm stretched over the back of the bench seat, his fingers resting against the back of my neck, occasionally playing with my hair and sending tingles down my spine. When we left the city behind us, Edward slid across the seat, pulling his leg up and turning his body to face mine. I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye as his arm went around my shoulders completely.

"So what happened to your car?" I knew exactly what he was about to do and I needed to get him talking, change the subject, kick him out of the truck, something, anything. The look in his eyes when he got closer said better than words what was on his mind and it was far from innocent.

He leaned forward, brushing his lips just below my ear, making me inhale sharply. "Some jerk in a big truck didn't know how to park. Ended up parking one tire on my hood." His hand moved to my knee and started inching itself up my thigh, fingers curled around the inside.

I shifted and swallowed, trying to keep my voice steady as his lips moved down my neck. "I thought you said someone backed into you."

He bit down gently at the base of my neck where it met my shoulder and I gasped, my eyes fluttering closed briefly before I remembered that I was driving. "He did. He was trying to back into the parking space. Went too far." His hand was halfway up my thigh and his fingers started massaging my thigh, the added pressure combining with his lips on my throat to leave me fighting for a steady breath.

"Edward, please. I can't…" I had to stop and swallow, fighting to keep a moan behind my lips when he bit down on my neck again. "…concentrate." I felt him smile against my skin.

"Maybe I don't want you to concentrate." His voice rumbled against my throat and I groaned again.

"I have to." His hand was now resting on the crease where thigh met hip, his fingertips the only thing even near my center where I was suddenly dying for him to touch. I felt my hips lift involuntarily, as much as they could while I was driving, and he chuckled, moving his hand back down my thigh.

I was torn between disappointment and gratitude when he removed his lips from my throat, resting his chin on my shoulder, his fingers playing with my hair. "Are you sure about that?"

I swallowed hard and nodded, opening my mouth to tell him that if he didn't let me be until we got home, we'd end up in a ditch somewhere. What came out was simply, "No." Traitorous, betraying mouth.

Edward laughed softly and moved his hand until his fingers were doing that barely touching thing again, his palm resting up against my hip. I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to use the pain to help me think. Using just the tips of his fingers, he applied just enough pressure over me so that I could feel him there and I couldn't stop the whimper that escaped my lips.

I felt his lips brush across my ear before he spoke, his words pitched low in what I suspected was a deliberate attempt to make me melt. "Think I can make you come through your jeans?" He succeeded with flying colors.

Once I processed his words, though, my arousal deflated enough that I could concentrate on the road. He must have sensed it because his hand moved down my thigh where it rested and he lifted his head. "What's wrong?"

I bit the inside of my cheek as I blushed, not really wanting to go into this right now. Of course, now I could use the excuse of driving not to have to look at him. I sighed. Now or never. "I don't think you could make me come at all." I had to fight the urge to stutter over my words but couldn't stop the quick glance I shot his way. I had to see his face.

It looked like he couldn't decide on an expression for a few seconds but finally he settled on curious. "And why is that?"

I took a deep breath, tightening my grip on the steering wheel. "You remember how I said… about James… and the drugs?" I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. "Well, ever since then, I haven't been able to…" I cleared my throat before continuing. "Not even with… mechanical help." And I figured if a vibrator couldn't get me off, nothing could.

Edward was frowning, but it was more of a thoughtful frown than anything. "Has anyone else tried?"

I blushed again. "Ah, no." I wanted to dip my head, hide behind my hair, but there was that whole driving thing. "You're the first guy I've so much as kissed since… him."

I turned into the entrance to my driveway and felt Edward's fingers brush my hair back, his lips press a kiss to the spot below my ear that sent immediate tingles down my spine. "Do you want to know what I think? About why you have that problem?" His words were soft, soothing. Again, I was comforted by the fact that he wasn't judging me.

I nodded as I slowed down over a particularly rough patch of drive. "I think it's a trust issue. It could have been the drugs; having sex while on some kind of a high will make enjoying sex sober a lot more difficult. But it's been over a year since James left, so I think it's a trust issue." He rubbed his hand over top of my thigh. Again, soothing.

"Climax is a release of control and I don't think you can bring yourself to do that. You lost control with James and you don't want to risk doing it again." By now his words had dropped to a whisper and my jaw was clenched against tears that were threatening to make an appearance. James had done a lot more to leave his mark than just give me some bad dreams.

I parked the truck in front of the house and killed the engine before turning to Edward. "That makes a lot more sense then anything I've been able to think of."

He reached out and brushed back the hair I tried to hide behind. "Can I ask you something with a promise that you'll at least consider it?" I frowned, confused, but nodded anyway. He searched my eyes for a moment before taking one of my hands in both of his, rubbing his thumb in circles on the back of it. "Will you let me try?"

Another frown. "Try…?" And then the light bulb clicked on. "Oh, to make me…" Edward nodded, completely serious. I blushed so hard I was almost dizzy from it, clearing my throat to make sure my voice was clear. "When?"

He offered a small, encouraging smile in the face of my embarrassment. "Whenever you're ready."

At that I just nodded and got out of the truck. I followed Edward up the steps, moving around him when we got to the door so I could unlock it. Esme greeted us both before I made my escape to my room. I had a lot to think about.

* * *

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